As If I Am Not There (2010)

Sadly Over-hyped

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

This film was extremely difficult to watch, but to be any less than horrific would be an injustice to the victims and survivors of concentration camps during the Bosnian War. As If I Am Not There succeeds in depicting a representative camp experience for a young woman during the time of the war. The film explores the intricate complexities of relationships between abusers and victims, as well as between internees themselves. Samira, the main character, after being repeatedly raped by soldiers, is forced into a subordinate relationship with the captain of the camp in order to reap certain benefits to stay alive. Although Samira's choices are morally questionable, the film does well to address the fact that victims were willing to do nearly anything in order to survive. The film depicts the captain as a "non-monster," but his seemingly gentle nature is abusive nonetheless and he is no less of a rapist than the soldiers that brutally gang raped Samira throughout her time in the camp. For a brief moment towards the end of the film, the audience feels triumphant as the women escape the camp and appear atop a mountain. Although a fleeting moment before the audience is brought back to reality, it is extremely important in the depiction of female survivors of the war. After having spoken with survivors, they all emphasized a desire to be depicted as strong female survivors. Then, the audience is taken back to the reality that victims faced after their internment. The war did not end in 1995 for any survivors, but actually follows them everyday of their lives. In the film, the ongoing traumas of war are represented physically by Samira's baby, the product of rape, that will be a lifelong reminder of the torture she suffered. The audience is brought into Samira's mindset as she contemplates killing, leaving, or keeping the baby. The last scene shows Samira making the decision to keep the child as she breastfeeds it, and finally allows herself to cry and feel the emotions that she was forced to suppress during her time in the camp. The scene is made so powerful by Samira's lack of emotion throughout the rest of the film. She is continually dehumanized by her rapists, literally feeling as if she's nothing in the scene where she is looking on her own experience of rape and abuse from above. The poignant absence of dialogue throughout the film, except for a few conversations, strips Samira of her individuality and ability to be herself. She partially reclaims this through her relationship with the captain, but once again, this is a forced and false sense of self. Samira is truly able to be her own person at the end of the film, but she is forever changed by her experiences as a survivor of the camp.

As If I Am Not There is an extremely powerful film which accurately portrays life in a camp during a period of conflict. The film also confronts the narrative that all victims must be the "perfect victim" in order to receive sympathy. Set in the Bosnian countryside during the Bosnian War, the film does not shield the viewer from any of the horrors of the war. Several sequences within the film such as the scene depicting the routine killing of men of fighting age are incredibly difficult to watch. When the women are held at the camp, they are subject to numerous humiliation tactics, and several are sexually exploited. While the scenes are difficult to watch, they are representative of what a normal woman's experience within a camp would be like. The gravity of the scenes is aided by the lack of dialogue and the impressive performance by Natasa Petrovic, the lead actress. The lack of dialogue adds a certain gravity to the experiences of the women as there is very little that can be said about their experience; it can only be expressed through action. Petrovic performance demonstrates the impact conflicts have upon civilians, in particular victims of rape. She is able to convey feeling of both vulnerability and intense fear through her expressive body language and facial expressions. During her period of internment, Petrovic's character Samira has to make difficult decisions about what actions she must take in order to survive. Samira engages in survival sex with the captain who runs her internment camp which is a decision heavily scrutinized by her fellow captives. This part of the film demonstrates that in order to survive in internment camp one usually has to engage in some morally questionable practices. Many Hollywood films which attempt to portray life within camps often portray the victim as both helpless and blameless. As If I Am Not There allows for the viewer to have a greater understanding of the moral dilemmas that emerge within the camp setting. Lastly, the film ends on an extremely powerful and profound note. While most films about surviving atrocities end on uplifting sentiments that supposedly speak to the strength of the human spirit, As If I Am Not There displays how one is permanently impacted by a camp experience. Samira has escaped Bosnia, but the war remains ever present in her life and directly impacts all of her experiences. The ending shows that intense trauma never really fades and leaves the viewer emotionally unsettled.

Juanita Wilson depicts female experiences during the Bosnian War in her film As If I'm Not There. The main character, Samira, is a composite of women's ordeals in camps during the war. The film includes graphic depictions of rape, violence, and survival. Wilson made the choice to have minimal dialogue, which forces the audience to focus on dramatized light and sound. These sensory details in addition to Samira's sober facial expressions set the tone for each scene. Many of Samira's experiences reflect the experience of camp survivors. For instance, Samira's yearning for her pre-war life is depicted by her characterizing home as she soothes the dying schoolgirl who has been gang raped and brutalized for the last time to bed. Samira also asks the captain towards the end of the film if she gets to go home, as if her once home still exists. Another example is Samira's struggle to retain her identity. She claims she puts on makeup and dresses herself well because it's who she is. She also identifies as a teacher from Sarajevo to the Captain. The film also depicts camp life with a fair amount of accuracy. The temporary nature of camp circumstances leads to gossip and rumors. The interruption of childhood innocence is depicted by a schoolgirl being distracted by a butterfly. The schoolgirl claims it's not dangerous to her mother. The fragmentation of guards is portrayed through the captain who is manipulating and raping Samira, yet has an eight-year-old son. The inescapable nature of camp experience is symbolized by Samira accepting the child, who is the result of repeated rapes during her time in the camp.

It is difficult to find fault with this extraordinary work. When dealing with difficult subjects respected filmmakers have to try and balance how much "reality" to show without disappearing into the territory of the mawkish and sensational. The fact that this masterpiece manages to tread so sure-footedly along this particular high wire without wobbling let alone falling off is a testimony to this directors genius. I do not even know her name? The Serbian/Bosnian conflict is barely twenty years old.... and though we are already bombarded with work on Iraq, Afghanistan and 9/11, etc. not one of these offerings come as close to understanding the subject or deal with the pity of war.Humanity endures mainly through an arbitrary processes and a sixth sense involving (in this case) catatonic shock......A quite marvellous film about an impossibly difficult and uncomfortable subject.