My opinion is that this movie is one of the strongest anti-war drama ever made. Only problem that comes is that you must be Serb to completely understand this movie. The thing is, every single second of the movie, every single word, the soundtrack are the row of symbols that creates a giant and complex puzzle made of historical events, way of living on Balkans, way of painting the portraits that will show you and let you to understand how did the war in Bosnia happened.
Movie is retrospective story, based on the true events. It is actually a row of memories of the two Bosnian Serb soldiers who survived few horrific days, trapped in tunnel, during the war in 1991. The tunnel was occupied by Muslim soldiers and with that fact we get to the first problem that was later, after the movie was finished and played in cinemas, used as main weapon of critics, saying that Serbs just want to show that they were victims in war.
For everyone, who will watch this movie, and who doesn't live on Balkans, I'll try to explain some basic facts of the movie, and also, I'll try not to spoil your enjoying.
This movie is a story of all consequences that war brings us. It is universal story of war, showing some basic facts that are similar to all wars, but in the same time, movie describes some things that are connected only with war in Bosnia.
The story starts in hospital, where the wounded are transported from the battlefield. There, the director introduce us with two characters. Two soldiers who survived the tunnel. Milan and Proffesor, both Bosnian Serbs. From their perspective, dialogs and memories,story leads us back, in Milan's childhood, where we can see his relationship with his friend Halil ( who is Bosnian Muslim ). Later, when the war begins, these two friend will be on different side of the tunnel. Halil, in the squad of the Muslim who occupied it, Milan with the Serbian squad who was trapped in the tunnel. Then the story goes on, introducing us , with whole Serbian soldiers and one American journalist who got there accidentally , trapped in tunnel. Every soldier has his own reasons that will make you understand, why did they checked in Serbian army, and why did they wanted to go on the battlefield. Than, the story goes straight, showing us events in the tunnel ( memories ) and the happenings in Belgrade ( real time ), during the protests against Slobodan Milosevic's regime ( one of the major facts that explains directors anti-war point ). Story goes on with shocking scenes, melancholic atmosphere, and tragic events that will lead to the final conflict. Did war changed Milan? His final confrontation is wounded Muslim prisoner of war who lies on the same floor of the hospital as he does. Did Milan became a dog of war?
Story was written by journalist Vanja Bulic, who was a host of TV drama-show called "Biseri" ( in English "The Pearls" ). Milan, the main character in the movie, is actually a guy who was a guest in that show. He told Vanja his shocking story and than the screenplay was written, off course, with some artistic changes.
This movie is grotesque, shocking, drama about one time on Balkans. About fall of former Yugoslavia. About mentality of the all people who lived in it. Check the lyrics in soundtrack, listen closely every word in dialogs, follow the symbols... I hope you will understand that there is no winner, there is no loser. Point is always the same, there is only destruction, there is only just suffering.
