My Father's Angel

Made by a Bosnian who lives in Canada, this film shows the painful post-war reality that follows Bosnian people like a heavy shadow wherever they move. It deals with accidental encounter of two Bosnians of different nationalities - the one who had tasted the bitter taste of war and the other who moved to Canada much before the war in Bosnia started. Both differences and similarities between them (and their families) are shown marvelously, with almost perfect sensibility and understanding. The emotional tension is sometimes extremely high, almost breathtaking. The actors had done their job excellently, especially Tony Nardi, Asja Pavlovic and Timothy Webber - but the whole actors' team was highly above average. Good example for Gerrardo Herero that a good actor does not necessarily have to speak Bosnian to play a role of a Bosnian!

I was fortunate enough to catch this film at the Portland Film Center Film Festival. This is one of those films that I feel honored to have seen. It is so important, and so moving, and so very well done. It is apparent that the film maker put his heart and soul into this film. The movie examines the consequences and tragedy of the Bosnian-Serbian war, but be assured that there is great humanity and compassion and even humor in this movie as well. The best thing in this movie are the performances. I don't know how the director managed to evoke such incredible performances. They are among the best I've ever seen.

Had the chance to watch `My Father's Angel' a few days ago. It is very similar in genre and content to other movies like `Before The Rain', `Beautiful People', `Earth' (all foreign flicks) etc etc., and even the American movie `American History X' which all magnify crimes against humanity and this unfortunate cycle of base human vices like power, selfishness, contempt, irrational hate, egoistic behavior which all lend a hand in the sad use of religion and other philosophies to make fellow human beings miserable. Instead of reaching out for a state of tranquility and happiness which is why most of these philosophies/religions are born in the first place - to appease the human soul, uplift the human condition, and make the condition of living a bit easier. If man were not rational and self – conscious I wonder how worse off we would actually be, and in times yet to come!

Though obviously not a well-funded effort, there is not much to complain about technically in this important film which, unfortunately, few people will ever see.

Set in Vancouver, B. C., the film portrays a brutalized Bosnian muslim refugee family (father, his catatonic wife, and their rebellious teen-aged son) whose lives and suffering in Bosnia are never forgotten in their day-to-day existence as emigres, with hints at their experiences provided in conversations which blend in naturally in the script and, if anything, are sometimes more bleak or chilling than contrived film recreations would have been. Their paths cross with a family of Bosnian Serb immigrants who left Bosnia prior to the genocide of the muslims by the Serb forces. The natural emotions among members of both families are convincingly portrayed, powerful and poignant.

This film takes the side of long-suffering humanity and mercifully makes no judgment on the main characters despite their frequent failures to achieve Hollywood-style implausible triumphs of good will over old prejudices and fears. It brings the horror of ethnic violence and genocide down to the level of the individual, and spares us the kind of tidy, satisfying and utterly ridiculous happy ending which most producers would have insisted upon and which would have ruined this gem of a film. It's bleak, but that's realistic and necessary, and its honesty allows the moments of grace which do occur to seem real and possible, not contrived, and therefore to touch the soul more deeply.

I'm tempted to say that this film should be seen by every Serb, but that would be unfair -- it should be seen by all of us who have been tempted to see another group of people as, well, somehow not quite as good, quite as human, or quite as deserving as themselves.

That systematic rape, murder of civilians and mass forced relocations of whole communities occurred in Europe so recently, after what we supposed we 'civilized' folks had learned from the Nazi horrors, is a chilling piece of insight into what makes us tick and what makes seemingly ordinary people somehow become capable of torture, rape and murder of their neighbours. Having said that, this is not a propaganda film for any group or ideology, though it is apparent that many people in the Serb diaspora as well as, certainly, most Serbs still living in the Balkans, choose to remain blind to the deeds of their countrymen, much as many Germans did during and after the Nazi reign of terror across Europe.

If you get a chance to see this film, don't miss it. It's a better film than many Oscar nominees over the past few years.