''Grbavica'' is a 2006 film by

Jasmila Žbanić Jasmila Žbanić (; born 19 December 1974) is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for having written and directed '' Quo Vadis, Aida?'' (2020), which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Lan ...

about the life of a single mother in contemporary

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

in the aftermath of systematic rapes of Bosniak women by Serbian soldiers during the Bosnian War. It was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as ''Esma's Secret: Grbavica'', and in US as ''Grbavica: Land of My Dreams''. The film shows, through the eyes of the main character Esma, her teenage daughter Sara, and others, how everyday life is still being shaped by the Bosnian War of the 1990s. The film was an

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companie ...

between companies from Bosnia,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

; it received funding from the German television companies

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

and

Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...

. ''Grbavica'' received an enthusiastic response from critics, earning a 98% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

. It won the Golden Bear at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival and it was

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.

Background

The title refers to the neighbourhood of

where Esma lives, which was one of the most traumatized neighbourhoods in the city. According to the director,

...in 1992 everything changed and I realized that I was living in a war in which sex was used as part of a war strategy to humiliate women and thereby cause the destruction of an ethnic group. 20,000 women were systematically raped in Bosnia during the war.

In the film, the Serbian rapists are referred to as Chetniks, a term which some of the population of Sarajevo (mostly Bosnian Muslims and Croats and Sarajevan Serbs) used for the besieging Serb troops.

Plot

Single mother Esma lives with her 12-year-old daughter Sara in post-war Sarajevo. Sara wants to go on a school field trip and her mother starts working as a waitress at a nightclub to earn the money for the trip. Sara befriends Samir, who, like Sara, has no father. Both of their fathers allegedly died as war heroes. Samir is surprised to find out that Sara does not know the circumstances of her father's death. Samir's own father was killed by Serbian military near Žuč when he refused to leave the trench he was defending. Whenever Sara and her mother discuss this delicate topic, however, Esma's responses are always vague. The situation grows more complicated when students who can provide a certificate proving that they are the offspring of war heroes can go on the field trip for free. Esma explains to Sara that her father's corpse was never found and that she has no certificate. She promises to try to obtain the document. Secretly, however, Esma attempts to borrow the money Sara needs from her friend Sabina, her aunt and her boss. Sara is haunted by a nagging feeling that something is not right. Shocked and bewildered when she discovers she is not mentioned as the child of a war hero on the list of pupils going on the school trip, Sara lashes out at Samir. At home, however, she confronts her mother and demands to know the truth. Esma breaks down and finally admits that she was raped at a prisoner camp and forced to have the child who resulted from this violation. Sara realizes she is the child of a Serbian soldier. This discovery brings her closer to her mother and helps overcome her trauma. In the end, Sara leaves for the field trip, not waving to her mother until the last moment. On the bus, the students start to sing a popular 70's song "Sarajevo, ljubavi moja" ( eng. ''Sarajevo, My Love''), written and performed by Kemal Monteno, and Sara joins in.

Cast

Mirjana Karanović Mirjana Karanović ( sr-cyr, Мирјана Карановић; born 28 January 1957) is a Serbian actress, film director and screenwriter. Considered one of the best Serbian and Yugoslavian actresses of all time, she is probably the best known f ...

as Esma Halilović * Luna Mijović as Sara *

Leon Lučev Leon Lučev (born 1970 in Šibenik) is a Croatian actor. He had his feature film debut in Vinko Brešan's 1996 comedy '' How the War Started on My Island''. Since then, he has amassed lead roles in numerous high-profile European films, including ...

as Pelda * Kenan Ćatić as Samir * Jasna Beri as Sabina * Dejan Aćimović as Čenga *

Bogdan Diklić Bogdan Diklić ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Диклић; born 1 August 1953) is a Serbian actor. He has been active since the late 1970s and starred in over one hundred Yugoslav films and television series. Diklić made ten films with director Gora ...

as Šaran *

Emir Hadžihafizbegović Emir Hadžihafizbegović (; born 20 August 1961) is a Bosnian actor. Often regarded as one of the best actors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has appeared in over fifty films, including ''When Father Was Away on Business'' (1985), ''Remake'' (2003 ...

as Puška * Ermin Bravo as Professor Muha * Semka Sokolović-Bertok as Pelda's Mother * Maike Höhne as Jabolka *

Jasna Žalica Jasna Žalica (born 1968) is a Bosnian actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, a ...

as Plema * Nada Džurevska as Aunt Safija * Emina Muftić as Vasvija * Dunja Pašić as Mila

Awards

;Wins *

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

- Best Film - 56th Berlin International Film Festival 2006 *Peace Film Award - Berlin Film Festival 2006 *Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Berlin Film Festival 2006 *Kosomorama Award - Best Film * Reykjavik International Film Festival - Best Film *AFI Film Festival - Narrative Grand Jury Prize *Brussels European Film Festival - Prize TV Canvas for Best Film and Award Best Actress (to Mirjana Karanović) *Ourence Film Festival - Award Best Actress (to Mirjana Karanović) *Portland International Film Festival - Audience Award *Thessaloniki Film Festival - Woman & Equality Award * Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York - Audience Award *

Sarajevo Film Festival The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internati ...

- Ivica Matić Award for director ;Nominations * Sundance Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize *

European Film Award The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

- Best Film and Best Actress

References

External links