Danis Tanovic's Death in Sarajevo is a politically-charged experience, an angry and introspective film which uses its ensemble-fueled narrative as a profound examination on the current state of Europe. Set in the hallways and spaces of a lavish hotel in Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic's film details a business in disarray, with the Hotel's manager, Omeer, desperately trying to keep the place in operation, stuck between the bank he owes money too and an impending union strike by his employees. He is stuck between a rock and a hard place while simultaneously attempting to prepare for the arrival of an important EU official who has has to give a speech on the anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an attack that triggered World War. Danis Tanovic's Death in Sarajevo provides a master class in form and function, a film that masterfully uses it's narrative to deliver a powerful and haunting portrait of the failures of the European Union. Omeer is a character who is simply trying to keep the business afloat, a man who comes to symbolize the prime ministers throughout the European Union, completely at the mercy of the banks, having little control when it comes to helping his employees. The various employees who wish to strike in an effort to make things better for themselves represent the European citizens throughout the European Union, people who are trapped under the neoliberalism/keynesian economics that restrict both their cultural and economic independence. Danis Tanovic's film is not one that pretends to have the all the answers to this complex situation , being mature in it's deconstruction of the current state of the European Union, recognizing the need for more independence and freedom from bureaucracy and neoliberalism, while still recognizing the dangers associated with celebrating nationalism, something which more often then not leads to fascism. Tanovic's film recognises the importance of accountability on both ends of this complicated mess, recognizing that there is no easy solution while simultaneously being angry about the current model of the European Union on that restricts both economic and personal freedom, while simultaneously pretending that unique cultures that make Europe so special and unique don't matter. Focusing on how this situation effects his homeland, Tanovic's film draws haunting parallels between the occupation of Sarajevo and the restrictive oppressive policies of the EU, recognizing that violence is never the solution yet fearful of what may come if nothing changes. Perhaps the final frame of the film perfectly summarizes Tanovic's fears, with the hotel manager wandering through the halls of his hotel which has erupted in total chaos, a man who has lost total control over his employees and his business. Extremely well crafted and meticulously in it's deconstruction of the current state of Europe, Danis Tanovic's Death In Sarajevo is a chilling, mature, and though-provoking allegorical tale which is angry yet fearful of what may come if nothing changes.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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