Esma's Secret (Grbavica) (2006)

Recommended

Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia/Austria/Germany
Feature Film

Original Title: Grbavica
Writer/Director: Jasmila Žbanić
Cinematographer: Christine A. Maier
Composer: Enes Zlatar
Cast: Mirjana Karanović, Luna Mijović, Leon Lučev, Kenan Catić, Jasna Ornela Berry, Dejan Acimović, Bogdan Diklić, Emir Hadžihafizbegović

Although the revelation of the titular secret is unlikely to come as much of a surprise to many, its impact is no less forceful, thanks mainly to the excellent and brave performances of Karanović and Mijović, in this disturbing and moving film about the lasting effects of war and genocide on the inhabitants of Grbavica, Sarajevo, where the painful past crouches ominously below the humdrum surface of everyday life. Iain.Stott