not for the faint of heart
Nov. 22nd, 2012 01:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
floatingleafI just watched In the Land of Blood and Honey. You know, the movie about the war in Bosnia, directed by Angelina Jolie. I really want to say something coherent and intelligent about it, but I don't have the words. The fact is that it blew me away with its raw brutality. It flattened me into the chair. I guess I expected something tamer, some sanitized version of events for the American audience. But this film is devastatingly honest about the realities of war, as seen through the eyes of women. I have a whole new level of appreciation for Angelina now. I really didn't think anyone with ties to Hollywood capable of such uncompromising realism. Yes, there is a love story in there, but there's nothing - absolutely nothing - "Hollywood" about it. It is as uncomfortable, and ultimately terrifying, as the circumstances in which it happens.
I just looked it up on IMDB and it doesn't have a very high rating, and some people are apparently having issues with the inaccuracy of factual detail (military props and such), as well as one side in the war (the Serbs) being shown as more "villainous" than the other. But you know what? I don't care, because to me the movie wasn't about historical minutiae (it's not a documentary, mind you) or about "taking sides" at all. To me, the message was clear: war is always undeniably wrong and evil, and in the end it doesn't matter who started it, because no one ever really wins, and those who had never wanted a war in the first place - particularly women - always suffer the most. Besides, war brings out the worst in men, who for all their pompous talk of heroism and honor are merely a bunch of unruly little boys playing in the sandbox... with real guns. Have you noticed that pompous and "heroic" movies about war are always made by men?... Well... here's another perspective. Watch it if you dare. And yes, there is a brutal rape scene within the first five minutes or so - and it's only the beginning. I feel traumatized after seeing this film - but there are tens of thousands of women who actually lived through this hell, and I can't even begin to imagine how THAT feels. What Angelina did with this film is give them a voice to be heard by the international community, and I love her for it. So go ahead, find fault with the details, "military experts" (who, somehow, are always male). Unsurprisingly, you're missing the point. Oh, and by the way, it's beautifully filmed; again, not in a "nice & pretty" Hollywood manner, but with raw emotional power and honesty. I think it's a masterpiece - but I won't blame you if you'd rather not put yourself through it (if you have a shred of empathy, it will shake you to the core).
One thing that perhaps lessened the impact for me was that all the dialog is in English. I am used to watching foreign films in original languages, with subtitles, and it sort of bothers me to suddenly hear Eastern Europeans speak English to each other (even if they do so with an appropriate accent). It takes away from the feeling of authenticity. I do realize it "makes things easier" for an English-speaking audience, which I suppose was the purpose - but, in my opinion, if someone thinks it's too much trouble to read subtitles, then they wouldn't be interested in watching this type of film anyway.
But that's just one minor negative remark. Overall, I am floored, and I consider Angelina Jolie an awesome filmmaker. Amen.
I just looked it up on IMDB and it doesn't have a very high rating, and some people are apparently having issues with the inaccuracy of factual detail (military props and such), as well as one side in the war (the Serbs) being shown as more "villainous" than the other. But you know what? I don't care, because to me the movie wasn't about historical minutiae (it's not a documentary, mind you) or about "taking sides" at all. To me, the message was clear: war is always undeniably wrong and evil, and in the end it doesn't matter who started it, because no one ever really wins, and those who had never wanted a war in the first place - particularly women - always suffer the most. Besides, war brings out the worst in men, who for all their pompous talk of heroism and honor are merely a bunch of unruly little boys playing in the sandbox... with real guns. Have you noticed that pompous and "heroic" movies about war are always made by men?... Well... here's another perspective. Watch it if you dare. And yes, there is a brutal rape scene within the first five minutes or so - and it's only the beginning. I feel traumatized after seeing this film - but there are tens of thousands of women who actually lived through this hell, and I can't even begin to imagine how THAT feels. What Angelina did with this film is give them a voice to be heard by the international community, and I love her for it. So go ahead, find fault with the details, "military experts" (who, somehow, are always male). Unsurprisingly, you're missing the point. Oh, and by the way, it's beautifully filmed; again, not in a "nice & pretty" Hollywood manner, but with raw emotional power and honesty. I think it's a masterpiece - but I won't blame you if you'd rather not put yourself through it (if you have a shred of empathy, it will shake you to the core).
One thing that perhaps lessened the impact for me was that all the dialog is in English. I am used to watching foreign films in original languages, with subtitles, and it sort of bothers me to suddenly hear Eastern Europeans speak English to each other (even if they do so with an appropriate accent). It takes away from the feeling of authenticity. I do realize it "makes things easier" for an English-speaking audience, which I suppose was the purpose - but, in my opinion, if someone thinks it's too much trouble to read subtitles, then they wouldn't be interested in watching this type of film anyway.
But that's just one minor negative remark. Overall, I am floored, and I consider Angelina Jolie an awesome filmmaker. Amen.
