First-time feature filmmaker Kristijan Milic teams with writer Josip Mlakic for this screen adaptation of Mlakic's popular novel following two tales of 20th century bloodshed in Bosnia. Alternating between warfare in 1943 and 1993, Milic and Mlakic's dark war drama highlights the haunting sameness of both battles by following a squadron of HVO (Bosnian Croat) soldiers as they walk the same path and face the same treachery that their Domobran (defenders of the Croat Independent State) forefathers
did just 50 years prior. Chief among the HVO team is sympathetic soldier Tomo -- whose grandfather was the last surviving Domobran Martin. By the time soldiers in both eras make their way to the haunted cemetery, the stories converge to highlight the hopeless cycle of strife that seems poised to repeat itself ad infinitum. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The Living and the Dead is not an easy movie to sit through, and its darkness may be a little mannered, but it's an elegant construction with real emotions buried deep inside.
...has elements of horror, as the plethora of knives and hypodermic needles point to, but this is a unique entry for those who like thought-provoking concepts served up with their grue.
[F]ans of small horror stories and British indies with a dark side will certainly be entertained, though cross-over appeal to non-horror fans will probably be limited.
The Living and the Dead is an annoying psychological thriller. I did like one part though, and that was the setting. The house in the movie really fits the atmosphere of the movie well. Other than that there is nothing I like about it. The character James was way over the top. Constantly screaming, jumping, and
running. I guess the filmmaker needed to make him as annoying as possible, in order to offset the extreme dullness of the rest of the movie.
June 15, 2011
Melvin White
Super Reviewer
Good story, but I did find it a little hard feeling sympathetic to a couple who don't know better than to let their deranged (not just mentally challenged as many reviews state) son be alone without a keeper for even a second. Before anything happens there are definitely signs he's becoming more dangerous. Anyway, as
I said, it's a good story, but except for feeling a certain amount of fear when situations got out of hand, I never really felt too much for any of the characters, which is a shame since it seems to be mainly a character piece.
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