On the Path
Encyclopedia
On the Path is a 2010 Bosnian and Herzegovinan drama film
directed by Jasmila Žbanić
.
couple living in Sarajevo. Both have traumatic memories from the Bosnian War
of the 1990's. Luna had seen her parents killed by an anti-Muslim militia in Bijeljina
, and had come to Sarajevo
with her grandparents as a child refugee. Amar had served as a soldier in the war and lost his brother. At present, however, they have apparently built up a successful life - she as an air hostess with B&H Airlines
, he as an air traffic controller
at the Sarajevo International Airport
. When she comes back from a flight they make love passionately and go to have a good time at a local nightclub. Though identifying as "Muslim
s" in the context of Bosnia's ethnic set-up, religion plays no part in their life. In fact, Amar drinks alcoholic drinks a bit too much - which is forbidden by Islam - and it is this which begins to put their relationship under strain.
First of all, Amar loses his job for being drunk at work. Luna is very worried and has little hope of realizing her fragile dream of having a child with Amar. But her fears for their future increase when Amar takes on a well-paid job in a Muslim community hours away from where they live. Only after quite some time has elapsed during which they have had no contact with each other, is Luna allowed to visit Amar in this community of conservative Wahhabis in its idyllic lakeside location. She notices that the men and veiled women
live in strict segregation and are closely watched. Luna asks Amar to return home with her but Amar insists that life in this isolated community of faithful followers has brought him peace and also keeps him from drinking. When he returns home a few weeks later, Luna realizes that Amars attitude to religion has fundamentally changed. Amar claims that his only interest is to become a better person, but Luna finds it extremely difficult to follow his line of thinking. She begins to question everything that she has believed in, even her desire to have a child. As the wounds of a tragic war-filled past continue to haunt her, Luna tears herself apart searching if love is truly enough to keep her and Amar together on the path to a lifetime of happiness.
at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
. At the 7th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival the film won the FIPRESCI Prize.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Jasmila Žbanić
Jasmila Žbanic
Jasmila Žbanić is a film director from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a graduate of Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, department for theater and film directing. She also worked as a puppeteer in the Vermont-based Bread and Puppet Theater and as a clown in a Lee De Long workshop. She is noted for the...
.
Plot
Luna and Amar are a young BosnianBosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
couple living in Sarajevo. Both have traumatic memories from the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
of the 1990's. Luna had seen her parents killed by an anti-Muslim militia in Bijeljina
Bijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
, and had come to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
with her grandparents as a child refugee. Amar had served as a soldier in the war and lost his brother. At present, however, they have apparently built up a successful life - she as an air hostess with B&H Airlines
B&H Airlines
B&H Airlines is an airline with its head office in the Energoinvest Building in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, operating scheduled services, charter passenger services and small cargo services...
, he as an air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
at the Sarajevo International Airport
Sarajevo International Airport
Sarajevo International Airport , also known as Butmir Airport, is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southwest of the railway station in the capital city of Sarajevo in the suburb of Butmir....
. When she comes back from a flight they make love passionately and go to have a good time at a local nightclub. Though identifying as "Muslim
Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a little under two million in number and constitute 40 percent of the country's population . The modern Bosniaks, often referred to as Bosnian Muslims, descend from Slavic speakers who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries. Bosniaks are...
s" in the context of Bosnia's ethnic set-up, religion plays no part in their life. In fact, Amar drinks alcoholic drinks a bit too much - which is forbidden by Islam - and it is this which begins to put their relationship under strain.
First of all, Amar loses his job for being drunk at work. Luna is very worried and has little hope of realizing her fragile dream of having a child with Amar. But her fears for their future increase when Amar takes on a well-paid job in a Muslim community hours away from where they live. Only after quite some time has elapsed during which they have had no contact with each other, is Luna allowed to visit Amar in this community of conservative Wahhabis in its idyllic lakeside location. She notices that the men and veiled women
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
live in strict segregation and are closely watched. Luna asks Amar to return home with her but Amar insists that life in this isolated community of faithful followers has brought him peace and also keeps him from drinking. When he returns home a few weeks later, Luna realizes that Amars attitude to religion has fundamentally changed. Amar claims that his only interest is to become a better person, but Luna finds it extremely difficult to follow his line of thinking. She begins to question everything that she has believed in, even her desire to have a child. As the wounds of a tragic war-filled past continue to haunt her, Luna tears herself apart searching if love is truly enough to keep her and Amar together on the path to a lifetime of happiness.
Cast
- Zrinka CvitešićZrinka CvitešicZrinka Cvitešić is a film, television and theatre actress.As a theatre actress, she has been a member of the Croatian National Theatre since 2005. In addition to acting, she is also an accomplished dancer...
- Leon LučevLeon LučevLeon Lučev is a Croatian actor.Lučev had his feature film debut in Vinko Brešan's 1996 comedy How the War Started on My Island...
- Mirjana KaranovićMirjana KaranovicMirjana Karanović is a Serbian actress known for many important roles in former Yugoslav films during the past quarter of a century....
- Jasna Beri
- Jasna Žalica
- Mirvad Kurić
- Sebastian Cavazza
- Marija Kohn
- Nina Violić
- Izudin Bajrović
- Vanessa Glođo
- Ermin Bravo
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for the Golden BearGolden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
60th Berlin International Film Festival
The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
. At the 7th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival the film won the FIPRESCI Prize.