As If I Am Not There

Incredible Movie claims that the movie doesn't lay blame on any side in the war and that women were raped on all sides. This is ludicrous because it's obvious that Bosniak women in the movie were violated by the Serb militants. International commissions have established that most of the 12,000-50,000 women raped between 1992 and 1995 were Bosniak as a way of genocide by other means. The rapes of Serbian and Croatian women, as horrible as they are, occurred as instances of war crimes, not as part of Bosniaks' genocidal program of genetic transformation and intimidation.

Anyone interested in the facts of the rape issue in BiH should consult Wikipedia's article on the subject.

This film, although often difficult to watch, is an unflinching look at ethnic internment during the Bosnian War. There is little dialogue, and the film's message is conveyed through a variety of techniques, the first of which is lighting. Before the war, Samira (the main character) is framed with natural light, soft tones, and sunlit backgrounds. After her capture and subsequent internment, the lighting becomes stark and harsh. The main actress, Natacha Petrovic, is also able to convey Samira's thoughts and feelings through her carefully calculated facial expressions. The lack of dialogue allows the viewer to interpret much of the story, and also avoids contrived/overstated dialogue. The director is not Bosnia, but she seems to be intuitive and sensitive in presenting the material so that it does not feel exploitative. She also does not explicitly mention which ethnic group in interned and which group is interning (as it were), which is an excellent choice in that it allows for a wider variety of experiences to be represented. Although it is hinted that this specific film focuses on Bosnian Muslims being interned by Serbs, there is some wiggle room for other groups to be included as well.

I believe her name is Petrovic. Either a Muslim Bosniac or Croatian! It's not fair to confuse the agressors with the victims! Wow, I am getting a note saying my comment must be 150 characters long. Really??

Just go to this film blindly and you will be shocked how good it is and it's truly a masterpiece. Realistic depiction of War and how it is effected the life of this innocent girl and they way she handle the circumstances , I can't say much about it . Please watch and support this film.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Samira (Natasa Petrovic) is a young teacher from Sarajevo who takes a teaching job in a small village as the Bosnian war hots up. One day, as she is taking her class, she finds everyone being rounded up by Serbian soldiers and, while she protests she is merely there to work, she nevertheless finds herself rounded up with the women. From this point on, she finds her dignity and human rights ripped to shreds, as she is subjected to the most degrading treatment imaginable as a sex object, but, to save herself and the other women, she finds the inner strength and resilience inside to rise up and be counted as a person.

It's a sad fact that sometimes the most affecting, heart wrenching stories involve being told the most unpleasant, disturbing ones, in order to feel their full impact. This is certainly the case with As If I Am Not There, which delves into the terrain of the Bosnian war in the early 90s. It's perversely fitting that it was not a widely seen film, because it holds little in the way of actual entertainment value...in fact, it's probably the furthest thing from entertaining you can imagine. In fact, sometimes you just feel like a sick person for watching it. But, as unflinching and terrible as some of the treatment is to watch, you have to see it in order to appreciate just what sort of hell went on.

But the strong acting and writing make it into a worth seeing film, even if it is one of the more disturbing ones you'll watch. ****