In the Land of Blood and Honey

Often when superstar actors decide to go behind the camera, the results are not the best. Some actors-turned-directors have turned out great work, notably Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, and others who have won Oscars for directing. In the case of Angelina Jolie, who makes an astonishing writing and directorial debut with the fiercely intense "In the Land of Blood and Honey," the results are encouraging for anyone hopeful that stars will use their clout in the name of serious cinematic efforts. Her debut is powerful, important, humane, and uncompromising. If you didn't know who made this movie, you might think it was the work of a great European auteur or an entry in the year's best foreign language film contests. It is ineligible for Oscar consideration in that category but has been deservedly nominated for a Golden Globe.

This no-holds-barred look at the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first part of the 1990s, a war that involved genocide and ethnic cleansing, is seen largely through the eyes of women drawn into it. Jolie brings a welcome focus on humanity that distinguishes the film from other recent war movies, even Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker."

The film focuses on the relationship between one of those women, Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), a Bosnian who begins a romance with the Serbian Danijel (Goran Kostic), only to have it interrupted by a bomb blast in the crowded club where they are dancing. The film then jumps forward four months; he is running a camp at which she is a prisoner. It's a horrible place where women are lined up and raped, and she would be one of them were it not for his intervention. Unfortunately, Danijel is under the watchful eye of a demanding and determined father, a top Serbian commander named Nebojsa (Rade Serbedzija), who expects him to fall in line and commit the heinous acts in the name of the Serbs. The tricky relationship between captor and prisoner gets more complicated and the film more complex as it progresses and moves on in time to Sarajevo, where the violence escalates even more.

Jolie is known for her globetrotting humanitarian causes and work on behalf of the United Nations, but this focus on a tragic war swept under the rug and somewhat forgotten is commendable and a credit to someone who could coast on a big acting career but has much more to say. Of special note is the authentic, largely local cast she has brought in, including leads Marjanovic and Kostic, who are superb. Serbedzija, perhaps the best-known cast member, is also excellent, as is everyone in the smartly chosen ensemble. The film was shot in English and the native language of Bosnia, but the decision to release it, at least initially, in the original language is the right one, showing the integrity of its director in serving material that strives for authenticity.

"In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a gripping motion picture you won't soon, and should not ever, forget.

Genre: Drama
Written by Angelina Jolie
Directed by Angelina Jolie
Starring Goran Kostic, Zana Marjanovic, Rade Serbedzija