A brief word of warning, or perhaps just a cautionary tale – if you find yourself on the eve of travelling to a specific city, and decide that it would be a good opportunity to watch one of the most famous films set in that particular location in the hopes of getting a better understanding of the culture and history of a place, make sure that it isn’t one that shows the more bleak side of the city, especially not when it is known for its violent history. On the precipice of my own visit to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the thought to finally watch Welcome to Sarajevo was an urge that was impossible to resist – and while it may have been a very dark, bleak film, it is clear that Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of the novel Natasha’s Story by Michael Nicholson is one of the most profound examinations of the Bosnian War, as seen through the eyes of the journalists that risked their lives ot deliver real-time reports on the growing tensions during the Siege of Sarajevo, one of the darkest chapters in the history of Europe, and a moment in which this beautiful city was afflicted with scars that seemingly will never heal, and that it wears as a symbol of its checkered past, a reminder of the lives lost and the fact that this kind of loss of human life is never anything less than a complete tragedy that should never be repeated. These ideas form the foundation for this film, which is a powerful and deeply moving examination of the various people who found themselves in this city, doing whatever they can to survive while experiencing the various harrowing obstacles that stand between them during the course of the Siege of Sarajevo, a very dark moment in the history of this beautiful and culturally-diverse country, which Winterbottom explores with compassion and genuine empathy for the people and their experiences.

Exploring the past is a challenging endeavour, especially when it comes to choosing a particular angle, since it is very rarely feasible to tell a story that captures the entire breadth of some of these subjects – war in particular is difficult to fully encapsulate in a single work, and we usually find the most interesting work being done by those who find a specific entry-point, telling a more simple story onto which a range of themes can be attached. Welcome to Sarajevo chooses to look at the relationship between the journalists that eventually become part of the war effort themselves, particular Michael Nicholson (renamed here as Michael Henderson, for reasons that are not made clear, but likely to allow for a bit more artistic experimentation), who became involved in saving the lives of orphans left destitute after the death of their parents as a part of the violent conflict that transpired throughout the country during this period – and one orphan in particular captures his heart, ending in his attempts to adopt her to give the girl a better life in his native United Kingdom, but realizing that even this act of selfless sacrifice and compassion comes with its challenges. It’s a fascinating story that Winterbottom adapts brilliantly – it helps that the film is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, who is a very reliable screenwriter and author who has experience tackling more challenging subjects, making them accessible but never trial, which is exactly why this film feels like such an immense achievement, since it takes on challenging concepts in a way that is easily understandable and quite clear, even if there are a few smaller moments in which it seems lik it is relying too heavily on the emotions than it is the actual storyline, but it quickly redirects whenever it steers too far off-course, finding its way back to the most meaningful moments of this otherwise very unsettling storyline.

Welcome to Sarajevo has drawn a lot of attention for its performances, particularly the central trio of Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei, who play foreign journalists and activists who find their way to Sarajevo, where they intentionally become involved in an attempt to children escape the harrowing conditions of their homes (which tend to be orphanages, as their parents were killed in the conflict), and become unexpected heroes. You could not find three more worthy actors to play these roles – they were notable enough to draw in audiences, but never so immensely popular that their presence was a distraction, which is very important to the identity of the film. Dillane is one of our most unheralded character actors, and his performance here is exceptional, with every detail of this role being perfectly tailored to his sensibilities, whereas Harrelson and Tomei were at their peak as performers, but still capable of delivering strong work in which they refuse to rest on their laurels, instead pursuing a new kind of performance that is deeply complex and unquestionably moving. They are also supported by a very strong supporting cast, many of the actors coming from the region in which the film is set, so appropriately bringing a sense of authenticity to their performances – in particular, Goran Višnjić is a standout, with his portrayal of the translator dedicated to maintaining peace, but who has to eventually succumb to the urges to defend his people being absolutely heartbreaking, particularly in the more quiet moments that we find scattered throughout this film. Profoundly moving but never overwrought, the performances assist in elevating Welcome to Sarajevo above and beyond any of our expectations.

Journalists do not always get the praise that they perhaps deserve – many can be viewed as professional opportunists that make a career out of major events, while others dedicate their lives to the pursuit of the truth, showing how this is an admirable path, albeit not one in which everyone can succeed, since it brings a risk that most of us would heartily avoid, which only makes the efforts of these few journalists all the more impressive. Sarajevo was home to several media professionals from across the world, who took up residence in the city (particularly in their Holiday Inn, which has someone something of a historical site as a result), staying close to the action to ensure that they can report on the most up-to-date events, which becomes something of a challenge when they realize how the bloodthirsty soldiers and guerilla fighters are not immune to these attacks. It’s a challenging film that understands precisely how to handle some of these difficult concepts, all the while paying tribute to the media, showing just how essential they were to the war effort. I’m reminded of another film set during this period, the excellent No Man’s Land, which pairs well with this film in several ways, most notably in its ability to challenge and unsettle conventions with ease, showing the lives of these people and how they risked everything they had to bring information on this war to the public – and considering this film is set only thirty years before, Winterbottom deserves credit for showing how recent these events were, which should be a sobering realization for those of us who believe the true story on which this film is based happened much earlier, not close enough for the wounds of war to still be very fresh, which is all part of the appeal of this challenging but profoundly moving work of historical cinema.

Welcome to Sarajevo is not a film for the faint of heart – it has a few moments of gentle relief and emotional resonance, but it is mostly a very bleak film, and Winterbottom is not afraid to show the more grisly details, since he is fully aware of the challenges that awaited him when tackling this material. It’s a beautiful and poetic film about the tenacity of the human spirit, and how we still manage to rise up in the face of adversity, even when it feels like our lives are in danger. It sometimes struggles to choose a specific idea on which to focus (which there is a lot that could have been discussed, even within the very narrow niche that the film was exploring), but it eventually finds an appropriate avenue, which becomes the foundation for this beautiful and heartbreaking ode to the efforts of the journalists and peace workers in the city at the time, something that is truly extraordinary but also deeply unnerving, since it is presented in vivid detail, which can be unsettling for those who are sensitive to violence and gore – Winterbottom doesn’t have any intention on pacifying the reality faced by these people, which results in an authentic but deeply disturbing drama. War is always a difficult subject to explore, but we often find that the best work is done when a clear point of view is presented, and while it may take some time to reach that perspective, Welcome to Sarajevo is an extraordinary film, and one of the more harrowing depictions of this era we have seen committed to film.