SIN

With her second feature film Ines Tanović continues to precisely portray the everyday post-war life of her home-town of Sarajevo, an approach she began with her much-acclaimed feature film debut OUR EVERYDAY LIFE (FFC 2015). Alongside universal issues such as the generation gap he experiences between himself and his adoptive parents, Arman is further burdened by the trauma of war endured by older generations as well as their expectations of a better post-war period. Being a teenager is hard enough for an adopted child, and even more difficult when he/she lives in a country that has yet come to terms with its past and is faced with an uncertain future. These are all issues the comparatively high standard of living enjoyed by Arman's family does little to ameliorate. On the testosterone-fuelled search for the ultimate kick one friend falls into the clutches of IS, whilst others get caught up in drugs and weapons in a life full of risk. Late, but perhaps not too late, Arman realises that he has to take responsibility for his little brother and his homeland. This naturalistic portrait of adolescents caught between an entire society entrapped by post-traumatic stress, a male thirst for adventure and the helplessness of their parents mixes precise, documentary-like psychological observation with the effective employment of fictitious twists and turns. BB