Within a country where rebellion and protests are actively suppressed by letting people disappear and by showing an overly visible police force, mobile phones are introduced. This event is the focus point for this movie. Though it may seem a non-event for us, these people regard it as a necessary tool to keep family and friends aware of their whereabouts when experiencing some delay on their way home. This is indeed felt as a revolutionary step forward, bringing an end to unnecessary worrying.
Gradually we are introduced to how the inhabitants of this country live, by concentrating on one family with its narrow circle of friends. Nothing much happens in their lives, where days are passing one by one. The pace of the developments in this film matches this slowness perfectly. How these people earn their bread, is not made very clear. Also, I did not get the impression that the younger people receive much education. Nevertheless, enough things happen to keep our attention for the full 99 minutes. In retrospect the latter is remarkable, as I cannot recall anything significant in the sense of some plot nor any dramatic development.
The women in this story become visible when participating in demonstrations while carrying pictures of their missing relatives. They very much remind me of the "Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" in Argentina, similarly taking a stand for a hopeless cause. But what else can they do??
Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I'm wondering. How can a country ever develop itself economically, and ditto within the fields of arts and sciences, when so much people and effort is wasted on armed guards, fences, weapons, etcetera??
Notwithstanding the depressing feelings left behind while knowing that such countries still exist and won't go away within the foreseeable future, I am glad having seen this movie as part of the Rotterdam film festival 2011. It works as a strong reminder that our lives are relatively easy and sheltered, compared to countries like this where each day survived is a day gained.
Finally, the Q&A after the screening, clarified some points that escaped me at first. The most notable example is the central role that the introduction of the mobile phone had, and the feelings of relief that it induced with the people.