The stories settle in Serbia between the years 2000 and 2005, from the end of the regime Milosevic over the assassination of Djindjic, the film-scenes combined subtle with news from that time, so you always have a good and often oppressive idea of the political and social situation (war, loss of family, destruction of homes, poverty, unemployment, nationalism, exodus to name a few: poor words for the tragedy that has happened in former Yugoslavia), the characters have to deal with.
Following an ambulance doctor in her field of work, we meet a news announcer being hunted by the mob for telling the "wrong" news and finally going mad, and her son finding the gun of his grandfather, a dying war veteran, emotionally closing, led into uncontrollable aggression. There are two brothers who don't know the fate of their parents. A driver of the ambulance trying to care for teenagers in a summer camp, having a tired affair with the idealistic Norwegian social worker. A young woman in a wheelchair befriending with the doctor. And many more. Here would be the only criticism I would like to express: so many well-built characters are led into stunning performances in wonderfully filmed tragic situations, but only few of them are followed. For example: what happens to the boy with the gun after he blew the summer camp? How is he dealing with his sick mother? It is impressing how the film makes the spectator care for them, but they suddenly disappear like so many victims of that war have disappeared. There is hope, but it is that kind of hope, that the protagonists of the many episodes can carry on in "a normal life", not in wonderful prosperity, health, luck or love.
For me the film definitely was worth watching it, but has some abrupt endings, as if the director was too tired too to follow some of his interesting and likable characters just one moment longer, where I would have trembled for their courage to hang in.
Following an ambulance doctor in her field of work, we meet a news announcer being hunted by the mob for telling the "wrong" news and finally going mad, and her son finding the gun of his grandfather, a dying war veteran, emotionally closing, led into uncontrollable aggression. There are two brothers who don't know the fate of their parents. A driver of the ambulance trying to care for teenagers in a summer camp, having a tired affair with the idealistic Norwegian social worker. A young woman in a wheelchair befriending with the doctor. And many more. Here would be the only criticism I would like to express: so many well-built characters are led into stunning performances in wonderfully filmed tragic situations, but only few of them are followed. For example: what happens to the boy with the gun after he blew the summer camp? How is he dealing with his sick mother? It is impressing how the film makes the spectator care for them, but they suddenly disappear like so many victims of that war have disappeared. There is hope, but it is that kind of hope, that the protagonists of the many episodes can carry on in "a normal life", not in wonderful prosperity, health, luck or love.
For me the film definitely was worth watching it, but has some abrupt endings, as if the director was too tired too to follow some of his interesting and likable characters just one moment longer, where I would have trembled for their courage to hang in.
