The Bosnian War doesn’t get much play here, but –get this- it turns out that war sucked, too. Hard to believe. You know, once the term “ethnic cleansing” comes up, you can be pretty sure a good time was not had by all. By 1995, the UN got involved just to see how ineffective they could be, and the answer is “a lot! A whole Hell of a lot ineffective.” And that’s where our movie begins.
Army of Republika Srpska has just taken over the Bosnian city of Srebrenica along with a Scrabble Board. You know, unless you’re really into 1990s war trivia, it seems unlikely that these names will ring a bell. But I don’t want to get it wrong because, quite frankly, important shit happened here. So if this were fiction, I might just joke that the Republic –sorry, “Republik” – of the Sneetches took over Whoville and “cleansed” the land of all green eggs and ham eaters. But that would be a little childish.
One of the negotiators for the UN/Bosnian forces is Aida Selmanagic (Jasna Djuricic, the Slavic Tracey Ullman). A former school teacher, Aida acts as a translator for the losing side. It’s pretty clear early on that negotiations are futile; the invading army is probably going to take what it wants. The remaining civilians in the town are holed up in the UN Compound
, a series of warehouses surrounded by a chain-link fence and patrolled by teenagers. The UN forces are badly outmatched…I thought that the mere participation by the UN might make a difference. HA!
Anyhoo, while the thousands of citizens await their fate at the hands of Darth Vadercic, Aida flags down her own husband and two sons currently outside the compound. She uses her influence to get them in. For a key scene in the film, this moment isn’t as clear as it could be and it’s pretty important because once she gets her way, Aida herself is responsible for the fate of her three fellas. And Aida can’t do shit against the Scrabble Lords. So, hey, Quo vadis, Aida?
Do I need to spell this out for you? Gosh I hope not. The words “ethnic cleansing” were a big clue, as if “Bosnian War” were not. Quo vadis, Aida? unfortunately plays exactly like an inevitable tragedy, and it’s not exactly Sophocles, notwhatI’msayin”? This film feels like you took the climax of Sophie’s Choice (Sophocles’ Choice?) and stretched it out for two hours with Bosnian Tracey Ullman instead of Meryl Streep. I personally love the flashback to the “salad days” where we spy a glimpse of the glory of Bosnia ago: The Miss Middle Age Slav pageant and the National Dance of the Dissatisfied. Ah, good times. And speaking of good times, this wasn’t. This film tells an important history, but as entertainment, it is simply an acting clinic. That’s not a terrible thing; but I neither need nor wish to see it again.
An army has come to the burbs
Consisting of pitiless Serbs
Townsfolk: in a fix
Cuz these guys get their kicks
Defying both Geneva and helping verbs
Not Rated, 101 Minutes
Director: Jasmila Zbanic
Writer: Jasmila Zbanic
Genre: War … still sucks
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Tragedians
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Serbs, I imagine
