''Mercy of the Sea'' ( hr, Milost mora) is a 2003 Croatian-Israeli war drama film directed by Dominik and

Jakov Sedlar Jakov Sedlar (born 6 November 1952) is a Croatian film director and producer. A former cultural attaché during the 1990s in the Franjo Tuđman government, his documentaries promote Croatian nationalist views through propaganda. His 2016 docu ...

, starring

Renée Estevez Renée Pilar Estevez (born April 2, 1967) is an American former actress and screenwriter. Early years Estevez was born in New York City, the youngest child and only daughter of artist Janet (née Templeton) and actor Martin Sheen (legally Ramón ...

, Kevin Albano,

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Mike Bernardo Michael Shawn Bernardo (28 July 1969 – 14 February 2012) was a South African kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994. He holds notable wins ove ...

Plot

Ana (Renée Estevez) lost her husband and brother in the Siege of Vukovar, but the disappearance of her son Anthony (Kevin Albano), after he was taken away by

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

soldiers, affected her the most. Years later, she is trying to locate him in belief he is still alive. Her friend Ivan, a postman (Mike Bernardo), delivers her a letter from uncle Frederik in Dubrovnik (Martin Sheen), saying Anthony has been found. Ana goes to Dubrovnik, experiencing unusual encounters on her way there...

Reception

Croatian Film Association The Croatian Film Association ( hr, Hrvatski filmski savez, HFS), also known as the Croatian Film Clubs' Association, is an association of non-professional film and video groups in Croatia. Croatian Film Association was established in 1963. Since 1 ...

's database describes ''Mercy of the Sea'' as a "solid work ..aimed chiefly at the US television market" which "mostly harmoniously blends the real with the phantasmagorical". Croatian film critic Tomislav Kurelec, writing for ''

Vijenac ''Vijenac'' (English: '' The Wreath'') is a biweekly magazine for literature, art and science, established in December 1993 and published by ''Matica hrvatska'', the central national cultural institution in Croatia. Historical background The ...

'', compared ''Mercy of the Sea'' favorably to Jakov Sedlar's earlier films, but remarked that Sedlar "does not rely on film techniques to express his views, but rather puts them in the mouths of his protagonists as explicit messages". A review in ''

Večernji list ''Večernji list'' (also known as ''Večernjak''; ) is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb. History and profile ''Večernji list'' was started in Zagreb in 1959. Its ancestor ''Večernji vjesnik'' ("Evening Courier") appeared for the ...

'' daily praised the acting, with the exception of

's performance, but noted that the film's unevenness, ranging from "very good" to "exceptionally bad", ultimately resulted in an "interesting if mediocre work".

References

{{reflist 2003 films 2000s war drama films Croatian war drama films Yugoslav Wars films Works about the Croatian War of Independence Films directed by Jakov Sedlar