Horror of Bosnian War explored in new film, Quo Vadis Aida?

The world has learnt nothing from the Jewish Holocaust of WWII, as highlighted in this horrifying depiction of the massacre of 8372 innocent civilians from the small town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war in July 1995.

This movie details the events that followed when a small town was taken over by the Serbian army and promised protection by the United Nations. Aida is the protagonist, a schoolteacher who serves as translator for the UN, and when the safety of her family is compromised by the Serbian army, she does everything in her power to save them.

What happened to the extraction plan and the air strike which the UN bosses promised? “What’s the point of an ultimatum if you don’t deliver!” a colonel angrily asked the UN leaders whilst a Serbian leader falsely claimed that “the safety of the civilians is our top priority”.

Profoundly powerful and affective, the recreation of the events that would ultimately shatter the world are unnerving to watch on the big screen. The desperation is remarkedly recreated from performances of the pivotal actors, headlined by Jasna Djuricic who portrays Aida, and the hundreds of extras who were herded onto trucks and buses then escorted to unknown locations.

This multi award-winning and 2021 Academy Award nominated film may have been fictionalised for creative and dramatic purposes, but regardless the systematic murder of so many people is factual and should leave audiences asking in disbelief how such atrocities could have been committed in recent history.

There’s minimal graphic footage of the carnage which is left to the imagination, but the outcome is obvious and should evoke such anger and disgust at the murderous rampage and total disregard for human lives.

The purpose of this exceptional film is to spread awareness of the evil that continues to be inflicted upon innocent communities, but unfortunately, it’s also a film that may be snubbed by moviegoers owing to the intensely dark subject matter.

★★★★ ½