Film Review: As If I Am Not There

1 Flares Twitter 1 "> Facebook 0 Google+ 0 "> Pin It Share 0 "> LinkedIn 0 "> StumbleUpon 0 "> Buffer 0 Buffer"> Email -- Email to a friend"> Filament.io -- Filament Ideas to Inventions More Apps"> 1 Flares × About As If I Am Not There (2010)Set during the Balkan war of the 1990s, As If I Am Not There is based on true events and tells the story of Samira (Natasha Petrovic), a young woman from Sarajevo whose life is shattered the day a soldier walks into her apartment and tells her to pack her things. Rounded up with the other women from the village and imprisoned in a warehouse in a remote region of Bosnia, she quickly learns the rules of camp life. However, the day she is picked out to entertain the soldiers, the real nightmare begins. In a final act of courage or madness, Samira decides to make one last stand: to dare to be herself. And this simple act saves her life. Based on Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulic s real life experiences overseeing the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague.

Starring: Natasa Petrovic, Feda Stukan, Stellan Skarsgard, Miraj Grbic

Directed by: Juanita Wilson

Runtime: 106 minutes

Studio: Element Pictures

Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB

Review: As If I Am Not There

Juanita Wilson’s portrayal of events in the Bosnian War (1992-5) focus primarily on women and girls as opposed to men or soldiers fighting in the conflict. The central character is Samira (Natasa Petrovic) who leaves her parents and younger sister to take up a teaching post in a remote rural village. She settles in well to her new life but one day smoke is on the horizon and gunfire can be heard. The Bosnian War has begun and soldiers descend on the village separating the men from the women and children. While the men are executed, the women and children are transported to camps where they remain prisoners throughout the war.

While it’s clear that many of the prisoners are subjected to labour, we follow Samira’s own path as she is one day chosen to live with a small group of women, sealed away in a remote building and summoned at regular intervals to be raped by groups of men. Women of all ages and even young girls are subjected to this ordeal and Samira’s first experiences sees her both beaten and raped by a trio of men. The title of the film resonates in this scene as Samira reflects on her ill treatment and how she is just a plaything rather than a human being. Samira remains strong though and catches the eye of the camp commander (Miraj Grbic) who takes her as his lover and she comes to receive some preferential treatment. The question is can Samira survive the war and will she make it back to her family?

As If I Am Not There swaps the bloody conflict of war for the suffering of the innocent civilians, in this case the women and children. After a pleasant opening it becomes a gritty and often unpleasant drama with the prisoners being shown no mercy, especially a young girl who Samira comes to care for. Petrovic is excellent in the lead, conveying a remarkably strong and independent woman in Samira, one who somehow withstands everything that is thrown at her and she emerges as something of a leader by the end. Though we witness the end of the Bosnian War it is only the start of a new battle for the women and children that have lived through it. There are no real happy endings, no magical cures here, simply harsh reality. The only downside to the film is it feels somewhat unfinished in its conclusion but perhaps that is an apt reflection of the scars war leaves on a nation and its people.

As If I Am Not There is a brutal but well-acted film that looks at the lives of civilians caught in the middle of a war they did not desire or start. The mass rape that was prevalent during the Bosnian War is explored here and we have victims that we will both pity and admire for their strength and resolve in surviving such a terrible ordeal. While the conclusion may seem to be missing something, this is still a compelling drama about a dark period of modern history.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 753 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.