The Whistleblower

"The Whistleblower" is a compelling biopic. Obviously it's rooted in truth, which makes it that much more potent filmmaking. At the same time, paradoxically enough, it's somewhat diminished for precisely that reason. No matter how engaging a film may be, if it's based on factual events, the pesky questions remain: What's true? What's a composite? What's dramatic license?

In this story told by writers Larysa Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan, Kathy Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz), a Nebraska cop and single mom in desperate need of money, takes a job as a peacekeeper in postwar Bosnia, where she discovers a widespread network of corruption and cover-ups among private contractors, multinational diplomats, and police officers, many of whom are American. The war is over, but lawlessness and violence still define the region, where human trafficking is rampant. Young girls from across Central Europe are sold into prostitution and live in squalor, brutalized by the most sadistic Neanderthals. Unable to tolerate the barbarism, Kathy reports what she's seen to the authorities, risking her own life in the process.

Weisz is a strong presence onscreen, and her Kathy is a three-dimensional working-class woman with a highly evolved sense of morality. Kathy is not righteous or sanctimonious. She is determined to do the right thing, though she's never abrasive, and her interactions with her superiors are always respectful. Still, her high-risk actions are completely believable and so is the anguish she feels when her good intentions lead to horrific consequences.

Vanessa Redgrave has a small role but is, as always, a patrician presence-in this instance playing the head of the U.N.'s Women's Rights and Gender Unit in Bosnia. Similarly, David Strathairn gives a consummate performance as an insider helping Kathy navigate the dangerous terrain of Internal Affairs and who may or may not be a double agent. Monica Bellucci is an embodiment of the infuriating bureaucracy Kathy is battling. Most impressive, however, are Roxana Condurache, as the trusting young victim sold into prostitution, and Jeanette Hain, as her tormented mother.

All the performances are nuanced, and the pacing is brisk. But even more important, there is no special pleading here. The tone is matter-of-fact. Kondracki, directing her feature film debut, allows the story to tell itself. Whether or not "The Whistleblower" offers a wholly accurate account, it is undoubtedly a riveting and disturbing thriller and an auspicious beginning for the new director.

Genre: Drama
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Writers: Larysa Kondracki, Eilis Kirwan
Starring: Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn, Vanessa Redgrave, Roxana Condurache, Jeanette Hain, Monica Bellucci.