ESMA’S SECRET – GRBAVICA (2006)

Grbavica (2006)

The movie good?:

Highly recommended.
Tell the story of post-war event in Bosnia to one single mother, her daughter, his friends, his male friend and particularly to the people of Sarajevo in the aftermath of the Balkan War, where people mainly of Bosnian Muslim and Crotian was systematically raped and the men was murdered as what they called as the ‘ethnic-cleansing’. The impact of the war has left unspoken until the adolescent daughter wanted to know the truth about his syahid (martyr) father.

Tell me, it is worth watching?:

Go see it. It just a simple story and easily captures the heart of ours. Its a sad story and a story of hope to the peoples whose family and country once destroyed because of war. Brilliant acting from both the mother and daughter characters.

IMDb Rating?:

7.2/10

Metacritic Rating?:

71 out of 100 (8.8 user score)

ESMA’S SECRET – GRBAVICA (2006) plot:

Set against the backdrop of a former Yugoslavia of the nineteen-nineties, this is a single mother’s anguish of how one must deal with truths and how to cope with a war’s terrible past. With a twelve year old daughter to bring-up, both mother and child come head-to-head when a school trip is in the air and complications and rude awakenings arise from the ashes’ of the cold and callous days of conflict, xenophobia and its secrets.

ESMA’S SECRET – GRBAVICA (2006) Info:

Esma’s Secret – Grbavica is a 2006 film by Jasmila Žbanić about the life of a single mother in contemporary Sarajevo in the aftermath of systematic rapes of Bosniak women by Serbian troops during the war. It was released in the United Kingdom as Esma’s Secret: Grbavica, and in USA as Grbavica: Land of My Dreams.
The film shows, through the eyes of the main character Esma, her teenage daughter Sara, and others, how everyday life is still being shaped by the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. The title refers to a neighbourhood of Sarajevo Esma lives in. The film was an international co-production between companies from Bosnia, Austria, Croatia and Germany; it received funding from the German television companies ZDF and Arte.
It won the Golden Bear at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival and it was Bosnia & Herzegovina’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards.

Director: Jasmila Zbanic
Writers: Jasmila Zbanic
Stars: Mirjana Karanovic, Luna Mijovic, Leon Lucev, Jasna Beri, Kenan Catic
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Language: Bosnian
Genre: Drama

Honors included:
Won Golden Bear – Best Film – 56th Berlin International Film Festival 2006
Won Peace Film Award – Berlin Film Festival 2006
Won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Berlin Film Festival 2006
Won KOSMORAMA award – Best Film
Won Reykjavik Film Festival – Best Film
Won AFI Film Festival – Narrative grand jury prize
Won Brussels European Film Festival – Prize TV Canvas for Best Film and Award Best Actress (to Mirjana Karanović)
Won Ourence Film Festival – Award Best Actress (to Mirjana Karanović)
Won Portland International Film Festival – Audience Award
Won Thessaloniki Film Festival – Woman & Equality Award
Won Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York – Audience Award

Nominated for Hollywood World Awards – Best Film
Nominated for Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize
Nominated for European Film Awards – Best Film and Best Actress

ESMA’S SECRET – GRBAVICA (2006) Trailer:

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010)

ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ Loong Boonmee Raleuk Chat (2010)

The movie good?:

This film was the winner of Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2010 but unfortunately this is also one of the most boring film I’ve ever seen in my life.

Tell me, it is worth watching?:

It takes me 3 attempts to watch this film. The first and the second attempt I fall asleep just after entering the 40th minutes. In the end I managed to finish the film but left wandering what actually this movie all about?, and how the hell it won the Palme D’Or.

IMDb rating?:

6.6/10

Rottentomatoes??:

90% of Tomatometer and an average 7.9/10 of rating! (seems like Rottentomateos readers enjoys more than IMDb)

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010) plot:

Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave – the birthplace of his first life.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010) Info:

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010) was inspired by the book “A Man Who Can Recall Past Lives” by Phra Sripariyattiweti of Sang Arun Forest Monastery, Khon Kaen. Published in August 23, 1983.

Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Writers: Phra Sripariyattiweti (inspired by the book of), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Stars: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Samud Kugasang
Country: Thailand
Language: Thai
Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Honors included:
Won Best Film at the Asian Film Awards 2011
Won Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2010
Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2011.
Nominated for Best Film – Feature at the Dubai International Film Festival 2010
Nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language on the Online Film Critics Society Awards 2012
Won Best Foreign Language Film at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2011

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010) Trailer: