No Man's Land

Two soldiers from opposite sites get stuck between the frontlines in the same trenche. The UN is asked to free them and both sides agree on a seizefire, but will they stick to it?



After various skirmishes, two wounded soldiers, one Bosnian and one Serb, confront each other in a trench in the no man's land between their lines. They wait for dark, trading insults and even finding some common ground; sometimes one has the gun, sometimes the other, sometimes both. Things get complicated when another wounded Bosnian comes to, but can't move because a bouncing mine is beneath him. The two men cooperate to wave white flags, their lines call the UN (whose high command tries not to help), an English reporter shows up, a French sergeant shows courage, and the three men in no man's land may or may not find a way to all get along. Written by




SYNOPSIS

Two wounded soldiers are caught between their lines in no man's land, in a struggle for survival. Ciki is a Bosnian Muslim, and Nino is a Bosnian Serb. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is Cera, a wounded Bosniak soldier who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal.

Marchand, a French sergeant of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander.

An English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers.

A row between the stressed out and fatigued Ciki and Nino gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, Ciki shoots Nino and is in turn shot by a peacekeeper. After this confrontation, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that Cera has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else. In reality, Cera is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine.