Vinko Bresan has made a few films that have landed him international acclaim as a talented filmmaker and as a director who chooses to break down Croatian stereotypes. Perhaps the most controversial part of Brešan's opus to date is the 2003 war drama Svjedoci ("Witnesses"), based on the novel Ovce od gipsa ("Alabaster Sheep") by Jurica Pavičić.
Reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, it explores the human complexities and moral murkiness of war through multiple perspectives and flashbacks surrounding the unintended murder of an alleged Serbian smuggler by three Croatian soldiers returning from the front in Karlovac. The "Rashomon" style of multiple stories is already so imbedded in our society that even the popular 70s TV sitcom Mama's Family used it for an episode called (not surprisingly) "Rashomon."
Witnesses was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2004 Berlinale and received the Peace Film Award as well as a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury. It also won the Philip Morris Award at Karlovy Vary in the same year. Notably, Serbian actress Mirjana Karanović was cast in the role of a Croatian war widow—a decision Brešan had to defend as the film drew protests from the Croatian Party of Rights and right-wing sections of the Croatian public.
Personally the war film is not my genre. I just came off of seeing Emir Kusturica's Underground which takes a similiar set of events and ideals but handles them in a completely different tone. That film is light hearted, funny, yet poignant. I get tired of the "real life" aspect of some film genres and seek out films that handle them uniquely. Also Kusturica is obviously a huge fan of Fellini which can't hurt anyone's case.
Back to Witnesses, I liked a number of things about it including, but not limited to, the lighting, the ambiance, the acting but none of it was able to grab my attention and make me want to continue to watch the film.
This film is gritty and real, but that also lends to it being depressing and I guess I am just not in the mood for that. Maybe watching it down the road would change my opinion but I don't think it will end up in my DVD player again anytime soon.