Bosnian Feminine Resilience

A review of Snijeg (Snow)

Directed by Aida Begic

Review by Rada Djurica

Another Bosnian film at the Sixth annual Zagreb Film Festival was Aida Begic's post-war story Snijeg (Snow), with snow taking on a metaphysical aspect. Begic here offers a view of feminine resilience withing a magical realism framework, directing the film with a decidedly feminine touch. There's only one male character who draws attention here, played by Bosnian actor Emir Hadzihafizbegovic, who counterpoints the melancholic atmosphere of the strictly female company. This is Begic's first film and it is strong feature for a first-timer. It is also the winner of The 2008 Cannes Critic's Week Grand Prize.

Snow tells the story of the women who survived the civil war in Bosnia and lived in a village without men, since they had been killed in a civil war massacre. The traumatic impact of those events is still present.

While Aida's film is very visuall powerful, it still does not beat the critical success of Danis Tanovic's No Men's Land, which might be a side effect of the domination of male directors. Indeed, this is impassionate directorial statement leaves a good impression on a festival audience, although it very much depends of what kind film buff you are. For an appreciative audience, the symbolism and cinematography are very powerful, and it stirs compassion in the viewer. Some Western audiences, however, might feels overwhelmed by the pathos.

Snow does engage in a bit of political indulgence regarding the subject of the film (which side should be blamed for the post-war massacre?), and it is the current fashion of worldwide politicians to support the victims and emphasize the a sort of self-importance regarding the Balkan war. Still, this film, by combining a powerful artistic statement with this slight political indulgence is nevertheless a strategic accomplishment.

Aida Begic says of the movie: "When you are in very hard moments of your life, there must be a balance, there must be something that will keep you alive and that will ease your soul. Nowadays, life in my country is like that. We all live with a lot of problems which are connected to the material problems of our lives; but, still; we have spiritual levels that we are trying to keep. The physical aspects of our lives keep us down and force us to remain there in Bosnia, and this is a real problem.

"In doing research for the film, I spent a lot of time with village women who lost husbands and children. Unfortunately, about 10,000 men were killed in one day. I discovered that — despite this horror — these women are very jovial and strong people. I appreciate their strength, which inspired me. It's very normal and common in Bosnia for these people to live with an awareness of the metaphysical aspects of life."