Starring: Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomie
and Kerry Fox.
Directed by Michael Winterbottom.
The irony of the title "Welcome to Sarajevo" is an early indication that
this is not a film which attempts to romanticise or elevate war. Instead
the film, based on the true experiences of British war correspondent
Michael Nicholson, focuses on the random brutality and chaos which faced
the inhabitants of Sarajevo during the 1992 siege. The audience is taken
inside the city, and given a 'behind the scenes' portrayal of events which
became the news reports on our television screens.
"Welcome to Sarajevo" cleverly cuts between news footage and 'reality'
and raises difficult questions about the moral responsibilities of those
reporting on the war. Michael Henderson (Stephen Dillane) is a hard-nosed
journalist who initially seems determined to separate his job from the
violence which surrounds him. When flamboyant American journalist Flynn
(Woody Harrelson) calmly walks into the line of fire to help move a
civilian wounded by snipers into safety, Henderson's curt response is,
"We're not here to help, we're here to report". But the cruelty of the war
gradually softens his professional detachment and he becomes deeply
affected by the plight of the children of Sarajevo. By bringing the
children of the Ljubica Ivezic orphanage to the world's attention he hopes
that they will be evacuated from the dangerous frontline of the siege. The
contrast between the terror of their situation, and the rigid diplomacy of
the political leaders of the time, whose comments are presented in actual
news footage, is a clear depiction of the world's apathetic reaction to the
conflict.
Henderson eventually steps uncertainly over the line between impartial
observer and involved participant, and makes the decision to adopt an 11
year old girl so that she can escape Sarajevo and return with him to
England. Their bus journey out of Sarajevo, with an aid worker (played
convincingly by Marisa Tomei) and a group of orphans is a tense and
harrowing odyssey. The burnt-out hotels and vacant tower blocks they pass
seem full of threat, and are a reminder of Sarajevo's transformation from
cosmopolitan city to the scene of urban warfare.
While the film concentrates on the day-to-day existence of foreign
journalists (New Zealander Kerry Fox stars as Henderson's co-worker,
wearing a distinctive bone-carving pendant), and the compelling effect the
war has on their lives, the tragic character Risto is representative of the
native inhabitants. He is employed as Henderson's driver and translator,
and finds himself witness to the horrific bloodshed of his own people, as
he accompanies the reporters to scenes of civilian slaughter. The gore of
these sequences is not for the squeamish. Risto and his bohemian friends
are shown as the desperate remnants of Sarajevo's intellectuals, now
reduced to a primitive level of survival. Risto burns his books to stay
warm explaining philosophically that for special occasions he chooses
special books. The film suggests, not so subtly, that art and beauty are
being snuffed out by the violence and cruelty of war.
"Welcome to Sarajevo" tackles some big themes but it doesn't wallow in
gloom or sentimentality, and the black humour running throughout the film,
often provided by Woody Harrelson's Flynn, prevents it from becoming over
earnest. The soundtrack is a superbly judged addition to its visual and
emotional impact. This thought provoking film may not help us to understand
why the war in Bosnia occurred but it provides a vivid picture of how it
happened on a human level.
You may also wish to read this related NZine article:
From Sarajevo to
New Zealand -
Ahmed Kafedzic is no stranger to dramatic change—from success and
wealth to the horrors of the siege of Sarajevo and then to being a refugee in
Christchurch, New Zealand...
