The movie that beat Lagaan...

Chinese New Year meant time on hand to catch up on some movies. Opportunity presented itself to revisit a movie that had left an indelible imprint on my senses.

The movie that beat Lagaan at the Oscars and was released way back in 2001 – yes I am talking about No Man’s Land. Written and Directed by Danis Tanovic – this movie on a very grave subject of the Bosnia-Serbia conflict renders itself in to a black comedy.

The movie meteors in with a bang with the dialogue which runs as –

‘Do you know the difference between a pessimist and an optimist?
‘A pessimist thinks things can't be worse. An optimist knows they can’.

This sets up the fable perfectly. In a strife-laden terrain and in the midst of smog emanating from the tanks and guns from either side – there lay a land which both parties dreaded to step on. A group of Bosniak relief workers lose their way and as the shroud of the night fog lifts – fall victim to the thundering Serbs.

The storyline meanders to find two Bosniak soldiers (one of them supine –with a triggered off mine under him which would explode if he moved) with a Bosnian Serb Soldier stuck in the same trench. What allures me to the movie is the way the movie encapsulates subtle plebian interactions under adversity. One scene that stands out is how the two soldiers try to prove a point on ‘Who started the war?’ by brandishing guns at each other!

With the two parties – Bosnia and Serbia – keeping away from the troubled trench – UNPROFOR comes in to play with media intervention as an added spice. The movie unfurls the politics at the helm and makes a mockery of ‘Play Neutral’ motto adopted.

These are just snippets in to what truly was a master class screenplay. The movie attempts to unravel, mock and question – inane human characteristics, politics overwhelming adversity and the war itself.

A must see!! Ah yes – you will need sub-titles.