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Set during the Bosnian war in the beginning of the 1990s, this film is a humanizing look at those who fight war literally in the trenches, and at the stuck-in-the-middle UN observers.

In a trench on "no man's land"—neither Serbian nor Bosnian territory—a Serbian soldier and a Bosnian one have a smoke together and realize that they have dated the same woman. You sense that in another time, another place, they could be friends. But not now; now they have to wait for relief from either Bosnian or Serbian soldiers.

Tension intensifies when a so-far unconscious Bosnian soldier wakes up to a nightmarish reality: he mustn't budge because he's lying on a landmine that will explode if he moves. His predicament becomes symbolic of the military conflict. After the men signal for help to their units and to the UN troops, a UN sergeant disobeys an order and arrives at the trench in a tank, hoping he can actually do something to help. The situation becomes more complex when a TV reporter also wants to help and becomes part of the story.

Content: Rated R for violence and language.

Ponette

(France, 1996)

The 4-year-old Victoire Thivisol, who for this role received the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival, convincingly renders this profound study of a child's mourning of her mother's sudden death. The stages of her honest grief aren't that far removed from an adult's: First, she waits for her mom to come back. She's angry when that doesn't happen. She consults her friends as she attempts to figure out what God had to do with her mother's disappearance. The children's interpretations of adult matters are sometimes hilarious and sometimes poignant, likely to influence the way adult viewers of this movie will talk to children.

Content: Because of the gravity of the film's subject, children shouldn't watch it unaccompanied by adults. It might help a child process a death of a loved one, but it must be followed by conversation.

Wings of Desire

(Germany, 1987)

Showing us the world through the eyes of angels, great German director Wim Wenders expands our spiritual imagination, strengthens our empathy, and infuses us with hope about the world we live in. He introduces us to two angels, one of whom is not satisfied with his assigned role as a chronicler of God's grace and a mere observer of human thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears. The ordinary pleasures—be it free will or tasting good coffee—that come with being human appeal to him more and more. After he falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist and gets a talk from Peter Falk, cast as himself, on being human, he decides to get rid of his wings.

Content: Rated PG-13, the movie contains brief nudity. Suitable for mature young teens and older.

Next week: The Top Ten Asian films.

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Top Ten Movies from Asia	Printer view
From hilarious comedies to poignant—even heartbreaking—stories about culture and society, here's one critic's list of Asian movies worth watching.

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Top Ten Movies from the Middle East	Printer view
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Top Ten Movies from the Rest of the World	Printer view
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