Esma's Secret - Grbavica (2006)
"Grbavica" (original title)

A woman and her daughter struggle to make their way through the aftermath of the Balkan war.

Director:

Jasmila Zbanic

Writer:

Jasmila Zbanic

Stars:

Mirjana Karanovic, Luna Mijovic, Leon Lucev

9 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mirjana Karanovic	...	Esma
Luna Mijovic	...	Sara
Leon Lucev	...	Pelda
Kenan Catic	...	Samir
Jasna Beri	...	Sabina (as Jasna Ornela Berry)
Dejan Acimovic	...	Cenga
Bogdan Diklic	...	Saran
Emir Hadzihafizbegovic	...	Puska
Ermin Bravo	...	Teacher Muha
Semka Sokolovic-Bertok	...	Pelda's Mother (as Semka Sokolovic)
Maike Höhne	...	Jabolka
Jasna Zalica	...	Plema
Nada Djurevska	...	Aunt Safija
Emina Muftic	...	Vasvija (as Minka Muftic)
Dunja Pasic	...	Mila

Storyline

Set against the backdrop of a former Yugoslavia of the nineteen-nineties, this is a single mother's anguish of how one must deal with truths and how to cope with a war's terrible past. With a twelve year old daughter to bring-up, both mother and child come head-to-head when a school trip is in the air and complications and rude awakenings arise from the ashes' of the cold and callous days of conflict, xenophobia and its secrets.

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Plot Keywords:

school trip | sarajevo | money | single mother | mother daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Coop99 [at] (German, English) Official site [ba] (Bosnian, English)

Country:

Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Austria Germany

Language:

Bosnian

Release Date:

6 July 2006 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams

Filming Locations:

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,974 (USA) (16 February 2007)

Gross:

$43,060 (USA) (8 June 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coop 99, Deblokada, Noirfilm Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Grbavica is a district of Sarajevo and translates to "hunchbacked woman".

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Connections

References Bus 174 (2002)

User Reviews

An Oscar-worthy performance and a beautiful film

I was fortunate enough to see this wonderful film at the Melbourne International Film Festival where it seemed to receive a positive reaction from the large audience.

Jasmila Zbanic has written and directed a film that is powerful enough to speak to a global audience. Even as a twenty-something Australian male, I was able to relate to the struggle of a middle-aged Bosnian woman because of the strength of Zbanic's storytelling and the superb acting.

I was particularly astonished by Mirjana Karanovic's performance and would be thrilled to see her acknowledged at Oscar time next year. She captured Esma's internal conflicts perfectly and brought many audience members to tears. Luna Mijovic was also very good as Sara, shifting with ease between adolescent rage and childlike vulnerability.

Zbanic should be applauded for crafting a film that reminds us that the wounds of war leave deep scars. While Zbanic's script may not be "perfect", the humanity of her message is strong enough to leave us feeling grateful for the gift of love. At a time when the global political climate is in such tumult, films like this remind us to appreciate the loving relationships we have, despite the baggage they may come with.