Plot
A group of aid workers work to resolve a crisis in an armed conflict zone.
Release Year: 2015
Rating: 7.0/10 (2,510 voted)
Critic's Score: 58/100
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Stars: Benicio Del Toro, Tim Robbins, Olga Kurylenko
Storyline
A group of aid workers work to resolve a crisis in an armed conflict zone.
Writers: Fernando León de Aranoa, Diego Farias
Cast: Benicio Del Toro -
Mambrú
Tim Robbins -
B
Olga Kurylenko -
Katya
Mélanie Thierry -
Sophie
Fedja Stukan -
Damir
Eldar Residovic -
Nikola
Sergi López -
Goyo
Nenad Vukelic -
Nikola's grandfather
Frank Feys -
UN Official
Morten Suurballe -
UN official at the briefing
Ben Temple -
Antonio Franic -
Soldier with Flag
Ivan Brkic -
Goran Grgic -
Mate Gulin -
Trivia:
After the public screening of the film during the Quinzainne de Realizateur 2015 (director's fortnight) at Cannes Festival, on the 16th of May 2015, the director and actors present (Benicio Del Toro, Melanie Thierry) received a five minutes standing ovation. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
I just saw a Spanish film that probably enjoyed a limited release in
the U.S., although the dialogue is mostly in English – A Perfect Day.
In the film, a team of aid workers faces a problem, a corpse is
contaminating a well that provides the only potable water in the
region, since two other wells are surrounded by mines and cannot be
used. The film follows the group as they try to obtain a rope to lift
the body out of the well, and examines the difficulties of executing
such a small task in a war zone, in this case, the waning days of the
Bosnian conflict.
The film resonated with me on several levels. First, of course, I live
in the Balkans now, so the language and setting was familiar. (Now I
know "konopac" means rope and "bunar" means well!) The landscape in
some of the scenes was amazing, and makes me curious to see more of
Bosnia now. Second, the cast itself is multinational, reflecting the
multinational character of international assistance efforts. This is
familiar to me too, since I work in a multinational OSCE Mission. The
civilian-military interaction was all too familiar, as were the many
scenes with Stryker armored personnel carriers, a common sight during
my time in Iraq.
I thought the film provided a very good feel for the frustrations of
development work in a war setting. In addition, the dialogue and acting
were great. The impressive cast features American Tim Robbins, Spaniard
Benicio del Toro, Ukrainian Olga Kurylenko (who was a Bond girl in A
Quantum of Solace), Frenchwoman Melanie Thierry, and Bosnian Fedja
Stukan. At one point, one of the characters, seeing Olga Kurylenko for
the first time, mutters under his breath, "And so where is she from –
Models without Borders?" The sub-plot involving the young Bosnian boy,
Nikola, who attaches himself to the team, is also great.
This is a powerful film that is authentic in its treatment. I recommend
it.
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