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No Man's Land (2001)
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Reviews Counted:97
Fresh:90
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: Bleak and darkly humorous, No Man's Land vividly illustrates the absurdity of war.
Synopsis: Dani Tanovic's debut film about the futility of the Bosnian War stars Branko Duric as Ciki, a Bosnian soldier with really bad luck. When he and a few other relief soldiers try to join their Bosnian... Dani Tanovic's debut film about the futility of the Bosnian War stars Branko Duric as Ciki, a Bosnian soldier with really bad luck. When he and a few other relief soldiers try to join their Bosnian comrades on the front, they get lost in fog, fall asleep, and are awakened at dawn by Serbian gunfire. His comrades are all blown away, but Ciki saves himself by diving into an abandoned trench in no man's land. Nino (Rene Bitorajac), a Serbian soldier, sneaks into the trench and finds Ciki. Though both men are armed and dangerous, they are nonetheless unable to escape the trench without getting shot at by either side. The UN is called in to fix the situation but it only makes matters worse. When an English journalist, Jane Livingston (Katrin Cartlidge), gets wind of the story, a media frenzy breaks out across the front. Tanovic knows his subject matter well as he worked as a war documentarian during the Bosnian conflict. The title of the film, NO MAN'S LAND, is especially fitting given the setting--rolling hills covered with flowers, birds, and insects. The background sound is filled with birds chirping and bugs buzzing, and Tanovic also composed the soundtrack. [More]
Starring: Branko Djuric, Katrin Cartlidge, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic
Starring: Branko Djuric, Katrin Cartlidge, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis, Simon Callow, Serge-Henri Valcke
Director: Danis Tanovic
Director: Danis Tanovic
Screenwriter: Danis Tanovic
Producer: Frederique Dumas-Zajdela, Marc Baschet, Cedomir Kolar
Studio: MGM/UA
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Reviews for No Man's Land
Unlike most American dark comedies there is no soft edge to be found anywhere in this devastating indictment of war.
By film's end I was impressed by the rich tapestry of characters, dark humor and violence, all carefully balanced and delivered with a modicum of rational thought.
A well-mounted... seriocomedy with passing punchlines. And for about half the movie, it's compelling stuff.
It's not a pretty picture, but it is a funny one, if you agree with Tanovic that all human behavior tends toward folly, cowardice, self-deception, corruption and hopelessness.
Tanovic, himself a war veteran, expertly twists us within the dilemma while avoiding easy answers.
The absurdity of it is diluted by the metaphorical sledgehammer used to smash the antiwar message home.
A skillfully wrought, if somewhat predictable, farce involving belligerent opponents, blundering international peacekeepers and excitable journalists.
From beginning to end, it bristles with ironies in classic Eastern European absurdist style.
An explosively suspenseful, deeply moving dark comedy and an astonishingly assured fiction debut from Tanovic.
It's a great war farce because it's confident enough in its emotions and convictions to focus on the laughs, knowing you'll get the message anyway.
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