This earnest film, set in Sarajevo, refuses to adhere to clichés of patriotism and victimhood (a soil plowed too often to no great an avail) and offers, instead, and with enviable skill and deep empathy, a surgically precise study of "otherness".
It attempts, and largely succeeds, in delivering a narrative devoid of any embellishments or unnecessary distractions, showing a commendable respect for the audience by encouraging a viewer to develop an intimate mapping system necessary for navigation through the labyrinth of the characters' frustrations.
Catalina, the film's protagonist, doesn't so much arrive at the scene but plunges into it in a manner one might plunge into a feverish dream. The elegant finale comes with her realizing that nightmares neither end nor are they resolved but rather they demand a strong, self induced wake up call.
Uncompromisingly unfashionable while succeeding in retaining its modernity, "Catalina" is further bolstered by the delicacy exercised in evoking what are some of the best of European cinematic traditions, from Bresson's "Mouchette" to Von Trier's "Dogville".
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