Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)

Welcome to Sarajevo: Directed by Michael Winterbottom. With Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic. Journalist Flynn from the U.S., Michael Henderson from the U.K., and their teams meet at the beginning of the Bosnian war in Sarajevo. During their reports, they find an orphanage run by the devoted Mrs. Savic near the frontline. Henderson gets so involved in the kids’ problems, that he decides to take one of the children, Emira, illegally back to England. He is assisted by American aid worker Nina.

“It seems bitterly ironic that a movie about the war in Bosnia, ignored for the most part by the West, should have been ignored by moviegoers. I donu0026#39;t know what happened to the distribution of this movie (perhaps there is an explanation), but I suspect that many movie-goers just donu0026#39;t want to be troubled by the reality of what happened in Bosnia in the years that the movie so effectively depicts — 1992-1995. Itu0026#39;s a crying shame, because this is a powerful, beautiful story that focuses on a British journalist who must learn how to act on his moral outrage. As a former reporter, I empathized completely with his sense of disconnectedness from the terrible events he witnesses. But as the camera moves through the burned-out rubble of the city and its surroundings, the tension builds toward his inevitable actions and makes plain the movieu0026#39;s moral: that even when we feel we can do almost nothing, we should do whatever tiny bit we can. The message isnu0026#39;t heavy-handed; it is intelligently conveyed through top-notch performances from a solid cast (Woody Harrelson is perfectly convincing as the u0026quot;cowboyu0026quot; American journalist) and a script that does justice to the complexity of the Bosnian situation. Real news footage is mixed quite cleverly with the invented — so well, in some cases, that itu0026#39;s hard to tell them apart. This isnu0026#39;t an easy movie to watch but itu0026#39;s worthwhile for those many of us who become confused and overwhelmed by the Bosnian situation. Itu0026#39;s a powerful reminder, too, that being informed isnu0026#39;t enough; action is imperative. I greatly admired this movie.”