We began a new series of Essential Cinema films last night with films coming out of SouthEast Europe. During the Bosnia, Serb, former Yugoslavia conflict of the 90's I had such a hard time figuring out who was fighting who but remembered the horrific crimes against women in particular. It was the first time the world paid attention to mass rape being used as a weapon to humiliate, subjugate and leave a poisonous mark on a population. Last night's film, made by a Bosnian filmmaker, Pjer Zalica is both a comedy and human film that brings us to a small Bosnian village two years after the war. A town is selected to welcome Bill Clinton and demonstrate the democratic unification of the village. While there is none of that in actuality, and there continues to be festering and deep grudges, the mayor with the assistance of a NATO overseer (hysterical role), prepares to clean up his town to welcome Bill. The creativity used by these people to put up a front is where the humor lies. But underneath the humor is a human story of previous neighbors who subsequently killed each other returning to talk about what happened. And the use of a ghost as a killed son to demonstrate one father's grief is extremely touching and realistic.
Abe and I loved this film. Not only did Chale provide us with four pages of notes but a map!!!! To better explain the geographical divides. As we walked out of the theater Abe exclaimed "I just love these foreign films, so much better than American films." I hope he doesn't get placed on some "list" out there but I agree.
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