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In the nineties the Yugoslavia Federation falls apart in bloody wars. Perpetual student Milan, a Serb from a patriarchal community and Kenan, a Muslim cellist, are a homosexual couple living in Sarajevo. Their lives, intimate and public, are shaken up by the aggression in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose devastating consequences unfold in inter-ethnic hatred. Trapped in Sarajevo during the siege of the Serb forces, the lovers manage to flee to Milan's home village and there they take shelter, waiting for Milan's father, Ljubo, to find a way to the Netherlands. Witnessing the brutality of Serb forces and their hatred towards Muslims, Milan desperately improvises: he disguises Kenan as a woman and begins to present him as his wife, Milena, a secret discovered by Milan's best friend, Lunja. Milan is drafted into the army and the situation becomes almost unbearable for Kenan. His one companion, is Ranka, a waitress in a local café, a woman whose dark secrets terrify most of the villagers ... Written by
Opera
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...than the ID card, at least in this time and place. Milan's ownership of one and Kenan's lack thereof fuel the plot to have Kenan disguise himself as a woman so he won't have to 'show his credentials' and get himself summarily shot.
The combination of 10% cinema and historical genocide makes for a tense and edgy ride, especially when the new 'couple' is welcomed home and a wedding is performed. Not much affection is seen between the characters as everyone is on a war-footing, with an all-pervasive fear coloring everyone's actions. The love triangle that later develops does not end well, as so few do. The lives of the characters does not improve, nor do we expect it to based on the sad and tragic history of the heirs to Yugoslavia's breakup.
Perhaps my favorite moment is when Milan's father Ljubo states that they just should get rid of the Serbs. And the Croats. And the Bosnians. So then "decent people could enjoy this beautiful country".
A pretty good watch and a great statement on peoples' rights, regardless of gender, orientation, or ethnicity.