Part of Movies We Missed.
Aida is a translator for the United Nations in the small town of Srebrenica. As the Serbian army encroaches on the town and fatal round-ups begin, a U.N. ultimatum is ignored by the invading forces relentlessly shelling the civilians. Aida frantically scrambles to save her family within the so-called safe zone, while protection from the U.N. peacekeepers crumbles at the arrival of Republika Srpska army commander Ratko Mladić (Boris Isaković) — who would later be convicted for war crimes. Filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić, who herself survived the war, masterfully assembles these memories of atrocity into both a heart-wrenching artifact and a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
“This study in chaos and calculation not only makes for harrowingly compelling viewing, but it also exposes the apathy of an international community that simply turned the other way.” ––David Parkinson, Empire Magazine “Refreshingly, this is a war drama that doesn't hinge on indulgent or shameless violence. Instead, it focuses on the heart-wrenching devastation of more offhand cruelties.” ––Anna Swanson, Globe and Mail “[Writer-director Jasmila Žbanić] has shaped the factual into an eloquent and conscientious picture that purrs along as suspensefully as any ticking-bomb thriller, using Ðuricic's performance as its engine.” ––Ryan Gilbey, New Statesman
