As If I Am Not There (2010)

While it is at times extremely troubling to watch, As If I Am Not There is a startlingly realistic depiction of the Bosnian War. From scenes of whole villages being rounded up and the men murdered, to women being raped and brutalized by soldiers in secluded camps, this movie does an excellent job of representing the types of depravity that took place in the early 1990s. Wilson does not base Samira's story on a specific case, but uses her character to represent an amalgamation of testimonies from survivors. In this way, the events of the movie are not necessarily a 100% accurate representation of a single person's experiences, but they include some of the terrible conditions and actions that these survivors had to endure. For instance, the practice of trading sexual acts for better treatment, food, or living conditions was not necessarily unheard of, but was a means of survival, not pleasure. In the film, Samira's relationship with the Captain causes the viewer to question Samira's moral involvement in the despicable treatment of her fellow inmates. In a similar way, Samira's seemingly compliant attitude and lack of opposition to the Serb forces has drawn some criticism for the film. However, in a women's camp where Samira was kept separate from the majority of the other inmates, it is unlikely that this expectation of a rebellion or opposition would have been possible, and could have even led to greater harm. It is difficult to make moral decisions in situations like those portrayed in this film, and I appreciate this realism to a great extent. It is not flashy, or thrilling, but in this way, it avoids over-dramatization that often cheapens the message of similar movies. In addition to the relative accuracy of events, this film also makes an attempt to depict the complexity of the conflict. Throughout the movie, Wilson includes scenes that seem to humanize the Serbian soldiers, and show that these men were not just monsters, but men, friends of brothers, husbands, and fathers. This did not make me any more sympathetic toward their characters, but this effort hints to the multi-faceted nature of this conflict, and attempts to mitigate the antagonism placed on the Serbian army. During the conflict, Bosniak Muslims, Croats, and Serbians were all victims and aggressors, but the Bosnian War is often presented only as a story of Serbian aggressors committing terrifying atrocities against Bosnian Muslims. This perspective is a very significant piece of the history to recognize, but it is important to realize that it is far from black-and-white. Overall, this movie does a tremendous job with communicating this part of history in a powerfully realistic way, and I encourage anyone who is interested in watching it to do so.

A theme that is often found throughout camp literature is the continuous impact that a camp experience has on those who have been interned against their will. It is as if the individual does not leave once released - though physically free, their mind remains to some extent trapped by their captors. "As If I Am Not There" displays this truth in heartbreaking fashion, as the audience witnesses the drastic difference between Samira at the beginning of the film, in which she happily runs through the streets of Sarajevo, and the end, in which it is almost impossible to imagine her smile. Natasa Petrovic magnificently pulls the audience in with her expressions during the close-up shots of her face, and we are unable to escape the emotions that she experiences. Scenes in which she feels pain and terror during her internment are very difficult to watch, and the haunted appearance she has at the end is not an image that readily leaves one's mind. As a film which depicts women's wartime experiences, "As If I Am Not There" is a drastically different war story from the gun fights and front line scenes we are all used to. It takes place on a very small scale, in which the world for these women becomes cut down to the size of a factory and adjacent house. These women knew nothing about the state of their families or country during this time, as indicated by their inclinations to jump at rumors of a nearby men's camp, and they rely completely on their captors for food and shelter. Though difficult to witness, "As If I Am Not There" is an important film. It brings the broad topic of camp experiences to the level of an individual human being, and the ending leaves the audience with the unsettling feeling that Samira's pain is never going to end. It is a piece of art which warns us against destruction, and reminds us that the true costs of war are not paid for by governments, but by the individuals who have had their lives ripped apart by events outside their control.

This movie doesn't hold back from showing in graphic detail the events that occurred in the former Yugoslavia in the detention camps for Muslim women and children.We see the story from the perspective of Samira. She is from Sarajevo but recently started work as a teacher in a rural village. Soon the war following the break up of Yugoslavia intrudes on the village and all the residents are gathered up by local Serb militia.There is a great scene as the villagers are gathered in a hall and we see close ups of anxious faces of men and women, guessing at what will happen to the men. Our guesses are proved correct after they are taken into the woods.The women are brought to a camp. Again our minds speculate what might happen to them and we are again proved right. Samira is brought to a special house for "chosen" women. We see what men are capable of in a war situation when they feel they can do anything without fear of punishment. Some scenes are extremely disturbing.Natasha Petrovic as Samira expresses perfectly, mostly with her eyes, the fear the women are feeling. For the most part this is the women's only way of expression. What use is there in talking when someone else can decide on a whim whether you live or die? Samira and all the women do what they feel they have to survive but even when freedom comes their experiences leave legacies that last the rest of their lives.The film is based on a novel containing womens stories that emerged from the International War Crimes tribunal trials of suspects from the Yugoslavian wars in the 90's.A hard film to watch but I'm glad it was made as it reminds us of the reality of what happens to innocents in war.

I kinda knew what to expect. The war in Bosnia was brutal. They didn't care about Geneva Conventions( I don't think they even heard about them) Rape was the instrument of the war by all sides. Thousands of Bosnian women were raped. There are many war movies but I think this movie is unique because it shows rape victims of war. Natasha Petrovic is incredible in this movie. Her eyes revealed everything every feeling. Hope to see her in different movie soon. And having read the book from Slavenka Drakulic I have to say that Juanita did great job. She didn't put blame on any side. You don't see army insignias and don't hears speeches about who started the war. You just see how innocent suffer in the war. This movie is very hard to watch and there are parts were you might even close your eyes. But it also shows strength of human being in midst of madness As a women I had to think what would I do in Samira's place. And probably the answer will be everything necessary in order to survive