Here

Colour, 35 mm
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2003, 90 min
Section: Official Selection

Synopsis

The story of a mentally disabled young man from a village recently devastated by civil war. His is the first of a series of six minidramas, but he becomes involved in the others’ stories as well (a lonely retiree, a young addict, her sister, an alcoholic actress, and a local soldier recently returned). Those who stayed at home are not any better off than those who eventually doffed their uniforms and are trying to start over. The war has changed everyone and has marked some to such an extent that it is impossible to believe that they will ever truly make it back. Some have not only lost their identities but even their instinct for self-preservation. Others will never rid themselves of the brutality and indifference towards others which the war brought to the surface. Many, as is the case with Lale, the local commander, simply cannot be rid of memories which suffocate them like a nightmare. Writer-director Zrinko Ogresta’s film is an extremely sensitive and unbiased reflection on contemporary Croatia’s coming to terms with its recent past.

About the director

Zrinko Ogresta (b. 1958, Virovitica, Yugoslavia) graduated in film and television direction from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb (1982). He has created shorts and made-for-TV movies which have garnered top festival awards. The best known include Forbidden Game (Zabranjena igračka, 1989), Stormy Night (Olujna noć, 1987), Leo and Brigita (Leo i Brigita, 1989) and Red Dust (Crvena prašina, 1999). He debuted in features with Fragments (Krhotine, 1991, nominated for a Felix), followed by Washed Out (Isprani, 1995), shown in the competition at Karlovy Vary. Here is his fourth feature film. During the war he shot a series of documentaries. Ogresta teaches film direction at the Zagreb Academy.