
In the Land of Blood and Honey
2011, Romance/Drama, 2h 7m
82 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Angelina Jolie displays a deft directorial hand in her feature debut, but In the Land of Blood and Honey's contrived love story never mixes in comfortably with depictions of the Bosnian genocide. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Ajla
Danijel
Lejla
Gen. Nebojsa Vukojevich
Tarik
Hana
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Critic Reviews for In the Land of Blood and Honey
All Critics (82) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (35)
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Overall, Jolie has nothing to be embarrassed about and much of which to be proud with this movie. Even in moments where the film doesn't quite work, she shows ample evidence of ambition and a discerning director's eye.
March 2, 2012 | Full Review… -
Jolie, however, shows great promise as a visual storyteller, even though this love story is stretched too thinly.
February 24, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Never less than competent, it's clearly the result of a sincere, long-harboured desire to raise awareness of these horrific, dehumanising events.
February 15, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Jolie's grasp of the material is confident enough to mean that her film never slows down, or loses its way.
February 10, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
This is an often impressive first feature and clearly a sincere and hard-hitting exposure of a terrible time.
February 10, 2012 -
The film's key twist seems a bit underdeveloped, but there's no avoiding the horror the film captures. Even in modern times, what monsters men can be.
February 3, 2012 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for In the Land of Blood and Honey
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Jul 28, 2013Before they have a chance to escape, sisters Ajla(Zana Marjanovic), an artist, and Lejla(Vanessa Glodjo) are rounded up by Serbian soldiers. And they are soon separated as Ajla is taken prisoner to an army camp. To punctuate the soldiers' intent, one of the women is raped in front of the others. Ajla is next but Danijel(Goran Kostic) intercedes on her behalf. It turns out that they briefly dated before the bombs fell and their romance now recommences. Except all good things must end, as Danijel is called to Sarajevo by his father(Rade Serbedzija) and can no longer protect her. So, he shows her how to escape... To its credit, "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is one of the only depictions of the recent genocide in the Balkans as seen from the ground level. The movie hits the right tone that is neither mawkish or exploitative in dramatizing the horrors the rest of world was ignoring. Framing it around a romance like it is here is definitely tricky and risky in the extreme, but first time writer-director Angelina Jolie pulls it off, as these characters were until very recently able to live in peace together and it would therefore seem reasonable that Danijel would have second thoughts about his current actions.Walter M Super Reviewer
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Mar 26, 2012Decent enough film for Angelina Jolie's directorial debut. While the subject matter was distressing (it's based on historical events), I don't think it generated enough emotion to really make me feel one way or the other.Matt S Super Reviewer
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Mar 23, 2012Everything about this film feels false and inept, even though there is a certain admirable technical proficiency on display. The actors are strong and Jolie certainly has potential behind the lens, but the film is kind of a mess and doesn't do it's subject matter, cast, or crew justice. A thematic misfire sure, but a well made one.Michael S Super Reviewer
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Mar 08, 2012I just saw the Angelina Jolie's film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, and I must say, I liked it. The film was at times hard to watch because the scenes were intense and very realistic. I heard a lot about this film before I saw it, and it was even nominated in the category best foreign film for Golden Globes, and to tell the truth I was afraid that it would be a disaster, but it was not, it was a film that showed the horrors of war and a lot of rapes and crimes for Muslim people in Bosnia. Many people had heard about those things, you knew it was true, but your brain could not picture it. Angelina Jolie showed two hours of brutal pictures and painful scenes for the viewer. People might criticize her film for being one side story, but the fact remained that these horrors shown in the film took place in Yugoslavia and the whole world knew. The love story was made up, but it gave a different taste which I liked. To see how they were torn apart and how they were dealing with the relationship after they were forced into opposite sides. Not bad at all.Daisy M Super Reviewer
In the Land of Blood and Honey Quotes
Ajla: | We were thought to loke everyone... Serbs, Corats, Muslims.... |
Danijel: | Should I trust you? |
Danijel: | It's very complicated... |
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