About the Movie |
About the War |
No Man's Land is a 2001 film directed by Danis Tanović. It follows three soldiers who get stuck in a trench between opposing sides during the Bosnian Genocide. Nino and Cera, who is stuck lying on a land mine, are Bosniaks, while Ciki is a Bosnian Serb. As the three soldiers learn more about each other and realize their shared history, the United Nations Protection Force works to save them.
The movie is an anti-war satire, also mocking international institutions, such as the United Nations, and the Western media. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001. |
After World War II, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia became part of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. After Tito’s death in 1980, growing nationalism among the different Yugoslav republics threatened to split their union apart. The Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his Serbian Democratic Party withdrew from government and set up their own Serbian National Assembly. They wanted to create "the Greater Serbian." 1992, President Izetbegovic proclaimed Bosnia’s independence. Two days after the United States and the European Community recognized Bosnia’s independence, Bosnian Serb forces launched their offensive with a bombardment of Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo.
From 1992-1995, Bosnian Serbian forces committed an ethnic cleansing of Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croatian civilians, resulting in the deaths of some 100,000 people (80 percent of them Bosniak) by 1995. It’s the worst act of Genocide since the Nazi’s regime. With Serbia’s economy crippled by U.N. trade sanctions and its military forces under assault in Bosnia after three years of warfare, Milosevic agreed to enter negotiations. The U.S.-sponsored peace talks in 1995 (which included Izetbegovic, Milosevic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman) resulted in the creation of a federalized Bosnia divided between a Croat-Bosniak federation and a Serb republic. |
Eastern European Cinema After 1989
Over the semester, the course has covered many films that span a variety of genres, many with different underlying themes. Danis Tanovic’s film, No Man’s Land, provides an inside look at the Bosnian War in the early 1990s and helps to give a glimpse into Eastern Europe from a Post-Socialist perspective. The film follows two different experiences during the war. The first is the soldiers who are stuck in no man’s land, two Bosnian soldiers named Ciki and Cera, and a Serbian soldier named Nino. The majority of the film follows the three men as they try and get back to their respective fronts, but there is a significant problem because Cera is trapped on top of a bouncing mine. This means that if he moves the mine will go off killing them all, leaving only Nino and Ciki to try and find help while Cera waits. The second experience that the film follows is Sgt. Marchand, a UNPROFOR soldier, who comes to the aid of the men. Marchand is the first person to respond to the call that the men were trapped in the trench. Despite his best efforts to try to help the three men, he is met with constant resistance from his superior officers saying that he must wait for approval before moving in for assistance.
The Bosnian war began in April 1992 and lasted until December 1995, much of the conflict stemmed from the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. The war focused on the Bosnians and the Serbs and a conflict that was driven by the Serbs desire to gain territory within Bosnia. The war itself was characterized by a great deal of fighting, bombings, and ethnic cleansings. The film is set right in the middle of this conflict, and in the time spent within the trench, viewers are able to see the relationship between the Bosnians and the Serbs. In Dina Iordanova’s book, Cinema of the Other Europe: The Industry and Artistry of East Central European Film, she discusses many trends that were prevalent in the eastern European film industry and how they changed during this period. In the seventh chapter of her book, she focuses on the shifts that occur in East Central European film industry after 1989 these shifts in trends can help by looking at No Man’s Land as a film and seeing the impact these changes had on the film.
In the seventh chapter, she examines changes in the industry as well as in generations and themes. After 1989, there was a significant decrease in production within the film industry, "there was crisis, which found expression in crumbling production routines, an abrupt decrease in state funding, a sharp increase in unemployment among skilled personnel, and a considerable, yet temporary, decline in documentary and animation output" (Iordanova 143). With the fall of state socialism, many government-run programs ceased even though there was a slight decrease in the film industry, it was eventually able to recover. Another change that occurred the film industry was the question of what will happen with distribution. Many film companies, "chose to abide by market rules and rather than play the losing card of domestic production opted for Hollywood box office winners" (Iordanova 144). No Man’s Land is an example of this decision as it was produced by several countries outside of Eastern Europe including, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Belgium. The result of this decision of outsourcing production to foreign countries proved to beneficial because the film fared well outside of eastern Europe. It won several awards including Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, and an Oscar for the Best foreign film in 2001, thus proving that some of the shifts in that occurred within the industry to be beneficial.
Another shift that occurred in Eastern European cinema related to the themes of the films. One of the thematic changes that are addressed by Iordanova is that films began, "reflecting the increasing awareness of changing geopolitical realities, a range of films looks into issues of contemporary migrations and new identities" (Iordanova 151). As a film, No Man’s Land is able to reflect this changing geopolitical reality. One example of this shift in the film is seen in the t-shirt that Ciki is wearing throughout the film. The t-shirt depicts the tongue and lip logo that is commonly associated with the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a very popular English Rock n Roll band that has been active since, 1962. For a long time they have stood as a symbol of western popular culture and seeing Ciki wearing that shirt shows that western influence is making its way into Eastern Europe.
One aspect that was common with films of this period is that some films had the underlying theme of presenting, "dark and uncompromising picture of depressing and demoralising experiences lived by protagonists faced with the mighty sweep of historical change" (Iordanova 151). This experience as depicted in the film can be seen in the interactions between Ciki and Nino. When the two initially meet they look at one another as enemies and want nothing to do with each other. As the film progresses, the viewers begin to see a relationship begin to develop between the two men, which is depicted in their conversation about Ciki’s old girlfriend, Banja. The two men for a brief time are on friendly terms and merely forgetting that they are soldiers fighting for opposite sides. Tensions between the men eventually return by the end of the film when Ciki kills Nino and gets shot by the UNPROFOR officer. This relationship represents the climate of this conflict between the Serbs and the Bosnians.
In conclusion, after reading Iordanova and watching Tanovic’s film, No Man’s Land is a perfect example of the shifts that occurred within Eastern European cinema after 1989. Tanovic’s film is able to showcase many of the trends that were associated with movies that came out in the Post-Socialist Era. Specifically, expanding production and distribution to foreign countries, and focusing on themes that illustrate shifts in geopolitical realities as represented by Tanovic’s depiction of the Bosnian War, and the dark changes that are faced by protagonists in the film. No Man’s Land serves as a perfect example of how directors were able to incorporate all of these changes into the film. Tanovic is able to create a film that is able to show how high the tension was between the Bosnians and the Serbs during the war through the interactions of two people, while at the same time making them relatable for the audience.
The Bosnian war began in April 1992 and lasted until December 1995, much of the conflict stemmed from the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. The war focused on the Bosnians and the Serbs and a conflict that was driven by the Serbs desire to gain territory within Bosnia. The war itself was characterized by a great deal of fighting, bombings, and ethnic cleansings. The film is set right in the middle of this conflict, and in the time spent within the trench, viewers are able to see the relationship between the Bosnians and the Serbs. In Dina Iordanova’s book, Cinema of the Other Europe: The Industry and Artistry of East Central European Film, she discusses many trends that were prevalent in the eastern European film industry and how they changed during this period. In the seventh chapter of her book, she focuses on the shifts that occur in East Central European film industry after 1989 these shifts in trends can help by looking at No Man’s Land as a film and seeing the impact these changes had on the film.
In the seventh chapter, she examines changes in the industry as well as in generations and themes. After 1989, there was a significant decrease in production within the film industry, "there was crisis, which found expression in crumbling production routines, an abrupt decrease in state funding, a sharp increase in unemployment among skilled personnel, and a considerable, yet temporary, decline in documentary and animation output" (Iordanova 143). With the fall of state socialism, many government-run programs ceased even though there was a slight decrease in the film industry, it was eventually able to recover. Another change that occurred the film industry was the question of what will happen with distribution. Many film companies, "chose to abide by market rules and rather than play the losing card of domestic production opted for Hollywood box office winners" (Iordanova 144). No Man’s Land is an example of this decision as it was produced by several countries outside of Eastern Europe including, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Belgium. The result of this decision of outsourcing production to foreign countries proved to beneficial because the film fared well outside of eastern Europe. It won several awards including Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, and an Oscar for the Best foreign film in 2001, thus proving that some of the shifts in that occurred within the industry to be beneficial.
Another shift that occurred in Eastern European cinema related to the themes of the films. One of the thematic changes that are addressed by Iordanova is that films began, "reflecting the increasing awareness of changing geopolitical realities, a range of films looks into issues of contemporary migrations and new identities" (Iordanova 151). As a film, No Man’s Land is able to reflect this changing geopolitical reality. One example of this shift in the film is seen in the t-shirt that Ciki is wearing throughout the film. The t-shirt depicts the tongue and lip logo that is commonly associated with the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones are a very popular English Rock n Roll band that has been active since, 1962. For a long time they have stood as a symbol of western popular culture and seeing Ciki wearing that shirt shows that western influence is making its way into Eastern Europe.
One aspect that was common with films of this period is that some films had the underlying theme of presenting, "dark and uncompromising picture of depressing and demoralising experiences lived by protagonists faced with the mighty sweep of historical change" (Iordanova 151). This experience as depicted in the film can be seen in the interactions between Ciki and Nino. When the two initially meet they look at one another as enemies and want nothing to do with each other. As the film progresses, the viewers begin to see a relationship begin to develop between the two men, which is depicted in their conversation about Ciki’s old girlfriend, Banja. The two men for a brief time are on friendly terms and merely forgetting that they are soldiers fighting for opposite sides. Tensions between the men eventually return by the end of the film when Ciki kills Nino and gets shot by the UNPROFOR officer. This relationship represents the climate of this conflict between the Serbs and the Bosnians.
In conclusion, after reading Iordanova and watching Tanovic’s film, No Man’s Land is a perfect example of the shifts that occurred within Eastern European cinema after 1989. Tanovic’s film is able to showcase many of the trends that were associated with movies that came out in the Post-Socialist Era. Specifically, expanding production and distribution to foreign countries, and focusing on themes that illustrate shifts in geopolitical realities as represented by Tanovic’s depiction of the Bosnian War, and the dark changes that are faced by protagonists in the film. No Man’s Land serves as a perfect example of how directors were able to incorporate all of these changes into the film. Tanovic is able to create a film that is able to show how high the tension was between the Bosnians and the Serbs during the war through the interactions of two people, while at the same time making them relatable for the audience.
For a list of the sources referenced, check out our list of books here.