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Storm (2009)
Criticism on the work of the Tribunal.. Will it raise public awareness?
This film was supposed to be done in 2007 and to talk about a Croatian war crime criminal Ante Gotovina that was arrested in Spain and the infamous 'Storm' (military offensive in Croatia in 1995), but somehow the title stayed, but the story changed (probably doing the long research) and it's about a trial against a Serbian commander from the same war (who gets caught in Spain at the beginning of the film though) and the main roles (the convict and his lawyer) were played by Croatians which was funny. The commander's name and the place where he allegedly committed crimes are fiction, except the hotel's name that was modified, but who can speak the language will get it.
Anyway, doesn't matter which side is being the bad one, a war criminal is a war criminal but also a national hero for some. What I like about this film is that it's remarkably restrained for a political film, there are no flashbacks to the wars in the Balkans because in the first place it covers the dynamics of the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) in pretty much critical way, how it works (shown from personal and public perspective), how time pressure on witnesses, judges, prosecutors.. should be reduced because the UN plans closing the Tribunal by the end of 2010 and many things have been left untold, unsolved, criminals unpunished.. It yearns for public awareness hoping something will change. It portrays how difficult it is to run a lawsuit when you can't make witnesses testify because they are afraid for their lives and families, when even after so many years some people are not ready to speak, the others are not capable of accepting the terrible crimes violating human rights as crimes that should be punished. It shows women's zeal for justice and punishment more than men's, people trying to maintain their balance when everything's unjust, betrayals, political countermeasures.. In this film a hero may not get the villain, the victim may not get to testify like she wants and the justice may not be satisfied because even at high court as this one justice is just a part of political games, a lot of compromises are being made because a lot of things are at stake (for example the witness' testimony may jeopardize the political need to bring various states from ex-Yugoslavia into the EU, it should be done as smoothly as possible and everything else is less important, even justice).
The heart of the film lies in the scene when a witness finds out that she won't be allowed to testify about her ordeal she asks a question about the ICTY in the fury - What kind of court is this? What the hell is it actually for?! The frustrating answer which is hard to accept is - Partial justice is better than none.
And I should add superb acting by leading female roles Kerry Fox and Anamaria Marinca, the Notwist's music in the background giving the special cold feeling to the whole murky atmosphere and making the film good as it is, but still it has more sense to people from the region or those involved with the Tribunal.
Far North (2007)
Stunning cinematography, unusual story..
This is a dark slow ride film with minimal dialogue. Hard and brutal life, death, survival, escape from evils of society, clash of tradition and civilization are presented here in a not so violent way, but still mind crashing and a few disturbing scenes that will make some people hate this film.
The cinematography is stunning. The arctic landscapes, low light, sounds of wilderness make it worthwhile to watch the film. The main actress Yeoh is perfect, the younger one Krusiec is good too, but Bean wasn't quite inspiring for some reason.
If we put aside the fact that we definitely can't be sure where and when exactly this is supposed to have happened (and many of us do have doubts in it being realistic), then it's a lot easier to accept the film's unusual story and dive into it our own way It's a film you can only like or dislike. Shocking, whether in good or bad sense, so suit yourselves.
Anonymes (2009)
Excellent!
I have just seen this film at the Kustendorf festival. Having never seen a Tunisian film before, I eagerly anticipated to see this one and must admit I got more than expected. Good story of oppression, tyranny and rebellion, natural acting and even a few shots of nudity which I would never expect to see in an Arab film.
Aicha, Radia and their strict mother live removed from the world in the servant's quarters of a deserted house. Aicha, a teen who is discovering her femininity, has never been schooled nor underwent any form of socialization other than the satisfaction of her basic needs like food and shelter. Her controlled visits to the outside are enough to trigger curiosity but the ruling hand of the mother is stronger. Due to her lack of social behavior and skill Aicha seems a little mentally challenged unlike her sister Radia, who had her share with the outside in the past and seems more acceptant to their retreat that seems to hide some very dark and painful secrets. Their obscure existence is shaken when a young modern couple moves into the main house. A bizarre cohabitation settles between the couple and the three women who decide not to make their presence known to these undesirable neighbours, but Aicha becomes enthralled by their way of life, putting her own family at risk. Their hideout is eventually discovered by the girl who was then taken prisoner so while having to live together she uncovers some family secrets which led to a violent ending. The final scene is nothing but a masterpiece!
Raja Amari examines what it is to have secrets and to what lengths a family will go to keep them. She visualized what oppression and abuse can lead to and how violent the human being's urge for dignity and freedom can be. Also,the film addressed an extremely important issue in Arab or any other society and that is the clash between the two worlds - the world of modern women and the ones closed in themselves under multiple pretexts and sometimes even against their own will.
I'm off to try to find Amari's debut work 'Red Satin' that also explores the struggle of a woman torn between modernity and tradition.