People who hate me told me what to do. One day, the media spread the information that Angelina Jolie, who at that moment decided to retrain as a director, would like to make a film telling about a Bosnian girl who fell in love with her rapist-Serb officer. The whole thing takes place during the war in Yugoslavia. But to remove this epic Jolie did not give protests of public organizations, especially a group of women who are part of the Foundation for Assistance to Bosnian women victims of violence.
But the fact that Angelina failed to shoot was managed by a certain Juanita Wilson, for whom, probably, cinema is not the main work: in her track record there are not so many films, and her most famous drama. And in the shower I dance" (2004 year of release and the hundredth place at the moment in the Top 250 on the KP), and she was also nominated for "Oscar" in the category "Best short feature film" for the tape "Door" (2008). But clearly embarrassed by the fact that the film, dubbed “As if I’m not there”, was filmed with full funding from the outside. Ireland. It is hard to believe that Ireland took an active part in the fighting in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and do they know what really happened there?
Of course, the film strikes with its tragedy: a young teacher, who came from Sarajevo, is captured by Serbian soldiers. It is clear that the young girl will sooner or later be interested in the warriors. Several scenes in the picture really amaze to the core and righteous anger wakes up, so much so that every rapist wants to let a lead in his forehead. But there is another side of the coin: the Serbs are shown as real beasts, the last scoundrels, cruel and disgusting people. I don’t know what really happened in those terrible years, but somehow the one-sided vision of Serbian soldiers in the tape looks like information agitation, which was carefully prepared by NATO and pro-NATO media when the massacre took place. In general, it is a pity if this actually happened, but the question creeps in: how much is all this true?
Now you can move on to acting. The role of a teacher caught in the millstone of the war was played by Macedonian actress Natasha Petrovich. She is almost unknown to the domestic audience, but if we take into account only her play in “As if I am not there”, then, in principle, the 22-year-old then played her convincingly enough and she often wanted to press to her chest, warm and take her away from the places where she was. Although her heroine would have left there, because other unhappy children, girls and women needed her help. I will also note the good role of Fedi Stukan, I am more used to seeing him in the roles of ruthless killers and psychopaths, and here he has a deeper role and Stukan did not hit his face in the dirt. And we can also note the participation of Stellan Skarsgård in the role of doctor. Here he is as a guest star, but Skarsgård, such a feeling, is ready to play everywhere, always and constantly (only in short intervals to make children).
As if I’m not there” – it’s like not the title of the picture, but the thought that the young heroine of the film tried to think when she was led to another “interrogation”. The film leaves a dramatic aftertaste, pity for his heroine and respect for her courage. But after all, are all Serbs-men such terrible people that they had to be erased from the face of the Earth by plane bombs?
7 out of 10