Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land injects satirical black humor into the dramatic war genre (think Dr. Strangelove meets Saving Private Ryan). Through a series of unlikely circumstances, three wounded soldiers (two Bosnians and one Serb) end up in a trench together in no man's land and fight to survive. Eventually, the UN and the press catch wind of this bizarre phenomenon and stick themselves right in the middle of it all. I'll leave the rest of this uniquely-envisioned piece for you to discover on your own.
From all technical aspects, the movie was pitch-perfect. Striking images, believable acting, an intelligent and wickedly delightful script. While I liked the anti-war message, much of the movie seemed too set in a specific time and place. The message may be universal, but I can't see the movie standing the test of time. Had it depicted a fictional war, it might still be watched decades down the road. Instead, the movie goes out of its way to give you a history lesson. (For several minutes in the middle of the movie, a man watches a news report on the background of the war.)The biggest problem I had with the movie was its mood. Tanovic did a magnificent job of mixing dramatic tension with preposterous actions--as best he could anyway. Unfortunately, I feel that the efficacy of absurdist humor relies on an abandonment of the serious. It is impossible to use both the real and the preposterous without the preposterous trumping the real (and therefore making it moot). I think Tanovic understands this, but he still tries to get his message across in literal, dramatic terms. The final piece of dialogue attempts to makes a serious point, only to be outweighed seconds later by the final image: an unbearably ridiculous portrait of the casualties of war. Because of this back and forth, it can be quite a confusing viewing experience. We never know how we are supposed to feel about a given event. Still, it was as good as it could have been considering the circumstances. And I suppose you could at least quote the dramatic punches to end your review.
Cameraman: You sure you don't want me to film the trench?
Reporter: No. A trench is a trench. They're all the same.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0283509/