No Man's Land (2001)

Director:

Danis Tanovic

Writer:

Danis Tanovic (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot:

Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1993 at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides. Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict, Nino and Ciki, become trapped in no man's land, whilst a third soldier is becomes a living booby trap.

Plot Keywords:

Enemy | United Nations Mission | Bosnia Herzegovina | Artillery | Bomb Disposal

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 26 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Branko Djuric	...	Ciki
Rene Bitorajac	...	Nino
Filip Sovagovic	...	Cera
Georges Siatidis	...	Marchand
Serge-Henri Valcke	...	Dubois
Sacha Kremer	...	Michel
Alain Eloy	...	Pierre
Mustafa Nadarevic	...	Old Serbian soldier
Bogdan Diklic	...	Serbian officer
Simon Callow	...	Soft
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Jane Livingstone
Tanja Ribic	...	Martha
Branko Zavrsan	...	Deminer
Djuro Utjesanovic	...	Bosnian guide
Mirza Tanovic	...	Bosnian officer

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

98 min | Turkey:90 min (TV version)

Country:

Bosnia-Herzegovina | Slovenia | Italy | France | UK | Belgium

Language:

English | French | Bosnian | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:All | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Slovenia

Company:

Noé Productions

Quotes:

Chiki: Because I have a gun and you don't.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Anterija

One of the best war films of the past decade

This is a great film & fully deserving of it's best foreign language film. No Man's Land never tries to follow the well-worn path of other films involving enemies both stuck in the same dangerous situation. The two main combatants never become friends during their ordeal (as shown at the end of the film & little trust exist between the two (they are both only interested in their own interests, not the other). Infact the most clear thinking & compassionate of the three soldiers caught in the trench is the one who can't get up because he is lying on a mine that could kill them all.

This film doesn't take sides in the conflict, it's more a human story than a war story, if any side is made to look bad, it's the UN.

Credit must be given to the Bosnian film industry on their handling of such a horrific part of their recent history in such a strong non-judgmental way. No Man's Land & another Bosnian co-production, Saviour, both stand as two of the best films on the subject of war made in the past decade. Both films avoid making statements on how was right or wrong in the Yugoslav conflicts that rampaged throughout the 1990's but show the hatred & division they have caused throughout the region. 9/10