War and conflict between two countries always brings unwanted casualties in inevitable time under constantly shifting critical situation. It wouldn’t be exaggerated to say that this film is perhaps the best example to feel the pulse of that crisis. I mean it’s rare to find such a perfect movie where situational crisis is playing pivotal role in the screenplay from the beginning to end. A group of Bosnian soldiers trying to cross the Serbian border in the night. When the mist clears at the dawn, they are spotted by Serbian army. Only one man named Chiki survives and moves in a trench between the two borders known as No Man’s Land. Two Serbian soldiers while patrolling the area install a mine under a wounded soldier’s body in the same trench. Now if a man moves the mine will blast and kill all those around the area. Chiki killed one soldier and made the other Serbian soldier a hostage. Two individual enemies are now face to face unknown about the inevitable fix full of crisis. UN Peace keeping force intervenes but they don’t have unanimous consensus to deal with this trouble spot. A famous TV coverage crew arrives to broadcast/sell their story. The greatest irony is the alive Bosnian soldier lying on deadly mine. If I go anything further from this it would spoil your film experience completely.
No Man’s land is finest modern satire and an anti-war film which strikes us thinking about so many issues which really matter to each and every country today. Even in the most complicated fix of their lives in trench two soldiers want to outsmart each other with their deep rooted vengeance. What roles army of both nations is playing? Why UN Peace Keeping force is in muddle of political pulls trying to make obstacles rather than solving them? How cyber savvy media manipulating the news reporting to convince even military? It’s revealing to know that the film is debut of Bosnian Director Danis Tanovic who brings a powerful and brilliantly made political/war satire showing the ugly reality where even the most powerful organization or human being becomes mere pawns in the hand of political powers. At the same time he also shows that not even an expert can help when situation is something like unchartered water and it clearly shows the helplessness and limitations of human progress.
The film won two prestigious awards as Best Foreign Language Film of 2001 in Oscar and Golden Globe and won more than 42 International awards all around the globe. It’s the film which won against popular Indian entry of that year ‘Lagaan’. I must say the film deserves the awards in all categories compared to our Indian entry and truly deserve the honour.
Standing Ovation.
Ratings-10/10
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