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| Jasna Duricic and Johan Heldenbergh Quo Vadis Aida |
It's 26 years since the Bosnian war, yet for many people living in the former Yugoslavia, the impact of this conflict remains ever present. Film maker, Jasmila Zbanic has tackled the horror of the war crimes committed at the supposedly UN safe haven zone of Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces in this high production value film.
The story is set in July 1995 and centres around UN translator Aida (Jasna Duricic) as she seeks to provide shelter for her family at the UN peacekeeper base as the Serbian army overuns Srebrenica. 30,000 terrified people crowd around the perimeter of the UN base as they are encircled by the hostile, menacing Serbs. As the UN translator she becomes aware that the Serbian army has no intention of respecting the UN ultimatums which are little more than hollow rhetoric. Her increasingly desperate efforts to save her husband and two sons form the core of this film and the now documented duplicity of the Serbian army particularly General Radko Mladic are a central theme. The helplessness of the Dutch peacekeepers and their abandonment by the UN is as poignant as Aida's despair.
This film deservedly was nominated for an Academy Award and has high production values with a large capable cast, significant military assets (tanks, armoured cars, military vehicles) for effect and effective photography. Not surprisingly there is no happy ending for Aida as indeed there was none at Srebrenica.
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