An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker movie review

 

In 2001 Bosnian director Danis Tanovic won Academy Award for Best Foreign film "No Man's Land". He continued his career in Europe, directing award winning films such as "Hell" and "Circus Columbia".

"An Episode in the life of Iron picker" marks the return to his Bosnian roots, with the true story of Roman family and their fight to save mother Senada's life. Tanovic was so moved when he read the story in the  local paper, that he decided to approach the family and tell their story. Senada and her husband Nazif agreed to re-create the plot in front of the camera, together with their two young daughters.

Senada was few months pregnant when she experienced miscarriage. Diagnosed and briefly treated in the local hospital she was let go home after she was told that she has to pay close to 1000 Bosnian marks for the surgery to remove dead fetus. The film follows Nazif's journey as he tries to find the way to save his wife's life. 

"An Episode in the life of Iron picker" was micro-budget film. It was shot on Cannon 5D, in only 9 days, mostly handheld with no light, no make up, no costume, and as Tanovic said in one interview "not even catering".  Tanovic was mostly  alone with DOP and his inexperienced cast which allowed him to get closer to them and improvise for hours. Most of the script was improvised during the filming. This approach paid off with some wonderfully moving scenes, especially the ones in the hospital involving two daughters, as they are waiting for their mum to come out of the operating theater.

The film grabs us, draws us inside this little family, feeling for them as they make each step, in trying to find the way to finance Senada's surgery. Nazif never gives up even when the situation becomes desperate and his pleas to the doctors are left unanswered.

Romas are minority in Bosnia and like in many other European countries, they have little or no rights. The film draws attention to their Roman background in a very subtle way. In one scene Nazif opens up to a friend saying that he fought in the civil war in former Yugoslavia for four years, and he does not even have medical insurance. His story is not unique. Many soldiers who fought in the war have never even received pension.

Film raises many questions. On the universal level it  poses the questions of justice, human rights and right to survive  based on financial circumstances. Living in the Western world we are all too familiar with the medical insurance system but bureaucracy and greed know no border or language.

On the other hand film tells the true story of the  current state of affairs in the former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a sample for all the other neighboring countries. The absurd civil war initiated by foreign forces (1992-1996) brought only misery and suffering. There is still no solution for many areas of the Balkans, with economy plummeting and ordinary people still suffering, 20 years after the end of the war.

Film won Grand Prix at the 63td Berlin International Film festival and Nazif Mujic was awarded Silver Bear for best actor.

Tanovic's film can be classified as art house movie and I can not see it as popular movie in the cinema. Yet it is a little jewel that should be seen and experienced, simply because this is universal story, it can happen anytime and anywhere. 
We are all humans and we should care about each other as much as we can. Tanovic certainly reminds us of that. No price can be put on saving human life, regardless of race, religion.