No Man's Land - We're All Losers!

 (2001) ★★★☆☆

Don't be misled by the poster here. It's not a typical Hollywood war film made to blow your mind with bloody and brutal stuff. It's in fact an ironically funny drama about war, and an Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film back in 2002. Anyway you've got to prepare yourself for some boring moments as the pace is a bit slow for a 90-minute film like this, and there're no fancy stunts, nor any technical amazements nor unforgettable acting.

For those not familiar with the Bosnian and Croatian history, the setup may seem quite confusing at first. Okay, let me try to make it as simple as possible. Two wounded Croatians, say 'A' and 'B', who survive the attack by Bosnians find themselves caught in a trench between enemy lines. 'A' lies on the ground and is unable to move around. 'B' can still walk and hide when two Bosnians, 'C' and 'D', come to search the trench. 'B' sees 'C' and 'D' set 'A' on a land mine as a kinda trap-once 'A' is moved, the mine will explode. 'B' then jumps out, kills 'C' and wounds 'D'. Now there're two Croatians, 'A' and 'B', and a Bosnian, 'D', trapped in the trench, waiting to be rescued. This is just the beginning of the story. What's gonna happen next? Can they get out of there alive? Will the mine blow 'A' into pieces? Can the UN and those passionate journalists get their jobs done?

We all tend to point the finger right at each other when it comes to the responsibility for the cause of war. Or we'd choose to stay neutral, but 'neutrality does not exist in the face of murder. Doing nothing to stop it is, in fact, choosing. It is not being neutral'. So there's no such a thing as neutrality. Nor are there winners in battlefields. We're all losers!

I can't say I enjoy this film owing to its slow pace and dullness in terms of score and editing, but to some extent, I do like it. I like its message. I like those conflicts and twists. And I can't help wondering why a man can only learn to appreciate things around such as the sky, the clouds, the sunshine, etc. when he's dying, like 'A', lying there upon a mine ready to go off at any moment.