In the Shadow of War

Although the war in their homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina ended almost 20 years ago, many young people are still suffering the consequences of a struggle they had no part in themselves. The film follows the lives of four teenagers, each trying in his or her own way to live with the legacy of war. The father of 17-year-old Magdalena is badly traumatized – he went to war at the age of 17, and now he takes it out on his daughter. Ilija doesn’t know his father and was abandoned by his mother at birth. Elvis lost both parents – he self-mutilates and has attacks of rage that bring him into frequent contact with the police. Ante’s father was a violent war criminal – the Yugoslavia Tribunal sentenced him to 20 years in prison. There are moments of strength and hope in each of their stories, but their loyalty to their absent parents and their yearning for the security of a normal family life means they are trapped in a cycle of despair and guilt. This film is a portrait of a lost generation.