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.

The hatred towards the "enemy", and the brutal behavior of men. The instincts that take the wheel in times of war are the canvas for the film's story.

Propaganda, one-sided, presents the Serbs as monsters, normal for an American film, since the USA destroyed Serbia by participating in this conflict, as in most cases, without having any right. Good movie, but its purpose is to falsify the truth. Like the novel it was based on.

Hollywood has not been honest in any of the films that refer to this particular war. The answer is simple, it couldn't be, war crimes were also committed by the USA.

History is written properly, when time has passed. But it is always written with the ink preferred by the winners.

I cannot explain my discomfort in watching this film. It is most definitely not for the faint of heart. However, it delves into a topic that is so important and yet so ignored. Throughout the film there is very little dialogue, the majority of the story is told through the face of the talented and powerful protagonist. The plot of the film is bleak and painful, but provides a real sense of the hell which hundreds of Bosniak women experienced during their internment in the Bosnian War. This film does not shy away from the torture and abuse the women faced, but it shows their strength in maintaining any dignity they could through the gruesome process. I think the director handled the topic with grace and created a movie that is both haunting and substantial, but I do wish that the film would have shown the struggles of Serb and Croat women who were also assaulted in large numbers during this time.

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 kinda knew what to expect. The war in Bosnia was brutal. They didn't care about Geneva Conventions( I don't think they even heard about them) Rape was the instrument of the war by all sides. Thousands of Bosnian women were raped. There are many war movies but I think this movie is unique because it shows rape victims of war. Natasha Petrovic is incredible in this movie. Her eyes revealed everything every feeling. Hope to see her in different movie soon. And having read the book from Slavenka Drakulic I have to say that Juanita did great job. She didn't put blame on any side. You don't see army insignias and don't hears speeches about who started the war. You just see how innocent suffer in the war. This movie is very hard to watch and there are parts were you might even close your eyes. But it also shows strength of human being in midst of madness As a women I had to think what would I do in Samira's place. And probably the answer will be everything necessary in order to survive