No Man’s Land (Danis Tanovic, 2001)
At its heart, this is a small story–three characters trapped between enemy lines in the Bosnian war–and as long as Tanovic hones his focus accordingly, this is a exceedingly tense and well-told absurdist war comedy. Unfortunately, though, the movie loses some of its restraint when dealing with the journalists, bureaucrats and UN peacekeepers who all but take over its second half. And it all seems rather conventional compared to something like 1996’s searing Pretty Village, Pretty Flames. Still, well worth your time. B
