Two wounded soldiers, a Bosniak and a Bosnian Serb, are caught between their lines in the no man's land, in a struggle for survival. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is another wounded Bosniak soldier who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal. A French sergeant of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in an effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander. Luckily, an English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers. A row between the stressed out and fatigued soldiers gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, the Bosniak shoots the Bosnian Serb and is in turn shot by a U.N. Peacekeeper. After this confrontation, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that the Bosniak w/ the mine under him has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else. In reality, the Bosniak w/ the mine under him is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides. The main belligerents were the attacking forces of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Herzeg-Bosnia, who were led and supplied by Serbia and Croatia respectively, and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After watching the film “No Man’s Land”, I thought about how vital communication is to society. Communication between characters in the film caused all the significant events, from the death of the first soldier to the abandonment of the last one. This relates to the real world as miscommunication may cause minor mistakes like burning a steak to major ones, like starting a war.
--Communication also shapes how we see reality, especially with the youth. Take the country's history lessons for example; ever since I was a child history teachers taught me that Filipinos descended from the various mixing of races of people from boats. But my current college lessons teach me that there might have been cavemen living in some local caves way before those boat people arrived.--
The main characters in the film spoke the same language, could sometimes relate to each other, showed minor concern for each other, yet fought on opposing sides. I’m assuming it’s the fault of the way the main characters were raised as children and onwards. They were probably exposed to a society which believed what their leaders said, with little doubts. They ended up as willing subservient people who would even fight and give their lives for a cause they did not truly understand. In the end they ultimately caused each other’s death. This is also like the real world as there are millions of people who are raised improperly to truly benefit from their cognitive abilities. A little coercing, which would reason itself out as the right thing to do and claim to reap generous benefits in the end, can cause these types of people to blindly do what the coercers want them to do.
There were other characters in the film that wanted to help solve the main character’s problems but succeeded in only providing little or no help, or even worsening the situation. These other characters seemed strongly opinionated, trying to achieve what society perceives as the morally good thing to do. They failed in saving the main character’s lives, even causing the death of one. Again, people like these really exist in the world. People trying to do what they can to help others/ the world, but hindered by countless factors things they have no control over.
All this real world relating may seem discomforting for some, but it is the truth and we have to live with it and adapt to it.
Further reading:1. Bosnian War Chronology: http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/21/idUSL2164446
2. IMDB Film Info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283509/
