FEATURE
Goran Kostic plays Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs
man in my life — ever get to the point where I would try to kill him or he would try to kill me? “So the story of the script was to try to put
these characters through these years inside the ugliness and violence, and examine the toll that war takes on a human being and what it breaks inside them. And, hopefully, at the end of the piece you somehow feel like you believe they would do what they do.” She informed the writing with her know-
ledge of wartime situations heard first-hand from survivors of war. The scene, for example, where the women are used as human shields in an attack was based on a first-hand account. “When you are face to face with people who
have survived something or faced danger, or have been aggressors but are coming to terms with why they did what they did and what that means, it really centres you on what is impor- tant in life and the human condition.” The first draft was written quickly, and Jolie’s
partner Brad Pitt read it and suggested she should let others read it. “I still didn’t take it seriously at that point and
just thought he was being sweet, but I sent it to a few people who said I should consider making it. The only way I would consider making it was if I could do it with actors from all sides of the conflict. I didn’t think we’d ever get the money, but we did. And I never thought they’d let me shoot it in authentic languages, but they did. Suddenly, there was this day when I realised, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be doing this.’” Jolie did not even have much prep time, since
she was committed to look after their children while Pitt shot Moneyball in late 2010. “I left for a few days to scout and then I came back to the US for a few weeks, and then I think I got three days before we started shooting.”
A balanced portrait Jolie was determined to present a balanced por- trait of the two sides and worked closely with the cast to finetune the script. “I had no dog in the fight, as they say. I
wasn’t related to either side. I was just trying to understand what happened. But the cast, who were from all different sides, had all suffered
n 28 Screen International at the Berlinale February 11, 2012 Zana Marjanovic plays Ajla, a Bosnian woman who becomes a captive FACTFILE
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY
n Written and directed by Angelina Jolie
n Produced by Tim Moore, Graham King and Tim Headington
n Starring Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Vanessa Glodjo and Rade Serbedzija
n Film shot a version in BHS and Serbian, and a version in English
n International sales by GK Films
n US release by FilmDistrict launched December 23, 2011
n Jolie won the PGA’s Stanley Kramer award
n Golden Globe- nominated for best foreign-language film
n Screening in Berlinale Special
through the war in one way or another. They made it real. They taught me. They made sure to influence the script and performances in a way that would be correct — in ways that would be impossible for me to understand.” “Rade [Serbedzija, who plays a Serbian gen-
eral in the film] helped me a lot to understand the history and the fact the people really believed in what they were doing. I don’t believe in films where the bad guy is just blankly bad. I think it’s important to have a character that really believes he is doing the right things for his people and country.” Jolie explains the Bosnian actors inserted the
line that they do not hate all Serbs, just the ‘Chetnik’ Serbs, referring to the nationalist paramilitary faction of the Serbian population. “It was important for them to define it,
because they wanted to say to the world that ‘we don’t hate all Serbs — we feel bad for them because this will scar them as well. The Serbian people are amazing people — loving, funny, wonderful, beautiful people.’ But this is a dark part in everybody’s history.” Indeed, she was nervous the film might
re-open recently healed wounds. “There was the big question when we were making it of whether it was too soon or not,
because it’s still so sensitive. It is soon, but I think it’s important at this time because there is still so much going on. All parts of the former Yugoslavia are going through economic situa- tions, dealing with corruption and housing issues for people who were displaced. We have a habit in the international community to wrap things up when a conflict ends and move on. And we need to follow through more.” Though there was initial scepticism in Bos-
nia about the project, the film has been well- received on a limited opening there and Jolie is excited to return to Sarajevo for the official release launch. “I am not a big enough believer that film can
change anything,” she says. “But with our film, we wanted to open a dialogue to remind the world of that time and discuss the issues that they are struggling with today. “We’ve been able to do that on different
shows around the world and the whole cast has been able to speak about what they went through and where their country is at now and about coming together as one. “I know the region enough to know that is a
big deal. It is important to have symbols of unity when people are still trying to divide other people.” n
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