Review of No Man's Land (2001) by Trung T — 10 Jan 2006

[b]No Man's Land[/b].

During the 1990's, the former Yugoslavia crumbled being broken up into individual states. The result: a long, protracted and bloody conflict that saturated media coverage and ruined lives forever. No Man's Land goes beyond the Hollywood cliches and paints a humanistic portrayal of the complexity of war and the ingrained hatred that overrides everything in a civil conflict.

The film focusses on 2 men- Bosnian Ciko (Branko Djuric) and Serb Nino (Rene Bitorajac) who due to a random series of botched manoevres find themselves stuck in between the two sides- No Man's Land. To complicate matters, Ciko's friend Cera is trapped with a bouncing mine buried beneath him. A shaky understanding develops between the two but simmering ethnic hatreds are not far below the service. In the meantime, the UN and media scramble to the site in the hope of intervention and a good story respectively. It all culminates to a conclusion that will sadden but surprise viewers.

No Man's Land works because it produces 3D characters and shows a human and logistic side to war not seen in the news or movies. The relationship between Ciko and Nino highlight the saddening aspect of civil war- men who have a lot in common, share the same tongue and who even knew the same girl are divided by unseen hostilities and fighting a war that neither men know who started. Also shown is a veiled condemnation of the incompetence of the United Nations and the manipulation of the media which adds to injury to a tragedy. No Man's Land is a must watch for those wanting substance and humanism in their war films.