I saw this film at its American premier in 2001 at the Seattle International Film Festival. It concerns a safe house or halfway house for women and their children who survived the Bosnian War. These women were displaced from their homes and many witnessed the murder of their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. Most had never worked outside the home and so were unable to provide for themselves and their remaining children. Some had had children as a result of rapes during war-time. I'm sure they all had very bad PTSD. The center gave them a safe place to live, shelter, food, care for their children, medical care, practical help, and therapy.
The filmmaker accompanies some of the women on a trip back to their home village. It's very painful for the women to see their former homes and remember the horrors they experienced there.
This was a very memorable film for me. I had forgotten the title and had trouble finding any information about it because it has been known under so many different names. I did find an update about the group responsible for this safe house, called Vive Zene. This group continues to provide support for the women and children of this area but has expanded it to include issues such as domestic violence. The wounds from such an enormous tragedy never really go away and often transmute into other problems.
There is one scene that stayed with me. The women staying in the safe house were required to get a massage once a week. They were reluctant. The idea seemed foreign to them. For many, the last time they'd been touched (other than their kids) had been their dead husbands or a rapist. The cameras were not allowed inside that room, so we see a woman go into the room, and then later come out. The difference is so dramatic. When she goes in, her face is guarded and withdrawn, like always. When she comes out, her face is soft and open, her voice is soft and open, and she actually smiles. It's like a tiny miracle happened in there, for a few minutes. The simplest kindnesses can make so much difference.
The film provides a valuable glimpse into the ways ordinary people can help in the aftermath of a devastating war.
The filmmaker accompanies some of the women on a trip back to their home village. It's very painful for the women to see their former homes and remember the horrors they experienced there.
This was a very memorable film for me. I had forgotten the title and had trouble finding any information about it because it has been known under so many different names. I did find an update about the group responsible for this safe house, called Vive Zene. This group continues to provide support for the women and children of this area but has expanded it to include issues such as domestic violence. The wounds from such an enormous tragedy never really go away and often transmute into other problems.
There is one scene that stayed with me. The women staying in the safe house were required to get a massage once a week. They were reluctant. The idea seemed foreign to them. For many, the last time they'd been touched (other than their kids) had been their dead husbands or a rapist. The cameras were not allowed inside that room, so we see a woman go into the room, and then later come out. The difference is so dramatic. When she goes in, her face is guarded and withdrawn, like always. When she comes out, her face is soft and open, her voice is soft and open, and she actually smiles. It's like a tiny miracle happened in there, for a few minutes. The simplest kindnesses can make so much difference.
The film provides a valuable glimpse into the ways ordinary people can help in the aftermath of a devastating war.
