''Mirka'' is a 2000

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

starring

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

and

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

. The international co-production was written and directed by

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n-born filmmaker

Rachid Benhadj Mohamed Rachid Benhadj ( ar, رشيد بن حاج, born 12 July 1949) is an Algerian film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Algiers, Benhadj studied architecture and cinema at the University of Paris. He made his professional ...

. Although countries are unnamed, several publications make reference to the film as a document of

Bosnian Genocide The Bosnian genocide ( bs, bosanski genocid) refers to either the Srebrenica massacre or the wider crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing campaign throughout areas controlled by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Bosnian War of ...

. It was released in Italy on 10 March 2000 and received its international premiere at the

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...

on 21 November 2005.

Plot

Mirka is searching for his mother in an unidentified

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

nation, he is befriended by Strix (Depardieu) who promises to help. Kalsan (Redgrave) is surprised at the sudden arrival of Mirka, a foreign child in her midst. In a turn of events, it emerges that he is her great-grandson. Unlike the villagers that participated in a silent

infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...

against ethnic rape children, Kalsan saved Mirka and took him to a city orphanage. The tragic story is unveiled by Kalsan's niece, Elena who became pregnant with Mirka after being the victim of an ethnic

war rape Wartime sexual violence is rape or other forms of sexual violence committed by combatants during armed conflict, war, or military occupation often as spoils of war, but sometimes, particularly in ethnic conflict, the phenomenon has broader so ...

. Elena has long believed her child to be dead so his appearance shakes the fabric of the household. Mirka's ethnicity leads to his persecution by the villagers.

Cast

as Kalsan *

as Strix *Karim Benhadj as Mirka *

Barbora Bobuľová Barbora Bobuľová (born 29 April 1974) is an Italian actress. Since 1995, she has lived and worked mainly in Italy. Life and work Born in Martin, Bobuľová trained at the National Drama Academy in Bratislava before moving to Italy in 1995. S ...

as Elena *

Sergio Rubini Sergio Rubini (born 21 December 1959) is an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. Life and career Rubini was born in Grumo Appula, Apulia, but soon moved to Rome to study acting. After some roles in theater, he debuted in a feature ...

as Helmut *Michele Melega as Tico *

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...

Arnaldo Ninchi Arnaldo Ninchi (17 December 1935 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian actor, voice actor and basketball player. Ninchi was born in Pesaro, the son of the actor Annibale. In his youth he was a basketball player, debuting on the national team at just 1 ...

*Sandro Dori

Production

The Italian-French-Spanish co-production was shot in 1999 in

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol it, Trentino (man) it, Trentina (woman) or it, Altoatesino (man) it, Altoatesina (woman) or it, Sudtirolesegerman: Südtiroler (man)german: Südtirolerin (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official ...

. The director, Rachid Benhadj cast his son, Karim in the titular role. The film also received funding from the Italian government and the Euroimages Fund of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. Benhadj described his reasoning for the narrative, "History repeats itself against women. They are victims of violence and rape in war and in emergency situations".

Reception

Alberto Crespi of ''

l'Unità ''l'Unità'' (, lit. 'the Unity') was an Italian newspaper, founded as the official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1924. It was supportive of that party's successor parties, the Democratic Party of the Left, Democrats of the ...

'' described the film as "timeless", enforcing that the strength of the film lies in the violent nature of the circumstances. The newspaper felt that some of the international casting was unsettling but felt Redgrave gave a good performance. Although Crespi felt Bobuľová was perfectly cast in the role of Elena. He also praised Benhadj's "intense" performance as the titular character and described it as a "generous" film. Roberto Nepoti of ''

la Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnoldo ...

'' said it was the first film to show how ethnic rape is used as a weapon to "pollute" a biological race and ensure the dominance of another. Nepoti praised Redgrave's "committed" performance, mirroring her real-life battles in defence of civilization. He continued to praise the casting of Bobuľová, Benhadj and Rubini as well as the cinematography of Storato. He also praised the director for going against the traditional mould of Yugoslavian war films, and instead creating a more universal film.Mirka
la Repubblica. 19 March 2000. Italian

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0174027, title=Mirka (2000) 2000s Italian-language films 2000 drama films 2000 films Italian drama films Films about race and ethnicity Films shot in Italy