Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  Disturbing film documenting the death and destruction of a nation torn apart by religious differences. Some very disturbing scenes of babies and children caught in the midst of the killing, and insanity. The actual footage used in this movie is really difficult to view, but needed to… More
  Disturbing film documenting the death and destruction of a nation torn apart by religious differences. Some very disturbing scenes of babies and children caught in the midst of the killing, and insanity. The actual footage used in this movie is really difficult to view, but needed to be shown. The newspeople covering the stories in these war torn countries are very brave (or crazy?) people. Kudos to them.....

• Jim H

  
  Journalists cover the war in Sarajevo. Michael Winterbottom's film has its heart in the right place. Attempting to expose the violence and atrocities of war and their effects on children is admirable, but what's missing is a clear, central story arc; the film finds it about… More
  Journalists cover the war in Sarajevo. Michael Winterbottom's film has its heart in the right place. Attempting to expose the violence and atrocities of war and their effects on children is admirable, but what's missing is a clear, central story arc; the film finds it about forty-five minutes into the film, but it's too late. What is more, the film is a combination of news footage and live action shots; this works, but Winterbottom over-uses the trick. Overall, I found it hard to dislike Welcome to Sarajevo, but I must admit that the story flounders.

• Bruce B

  
  Don't let the year made scare you. From the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival. One Hell of a movie. Shows actual footage of the massacre that went on in Sarajevo, right under the nose of world leaders that only looked the other way and allowed it. This movie is about a… More
  Don't let the year made scare you. From the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival. One Hell of a movie. Shows actual footage of the massacre that went on in Sarajevo, right under the nose of world leaders that only looked the other way and allowed it. This movie is about a British Reporter and his getting a little girl out of the country. This is worth no less then 5 Stars and everyone should see it,

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Welcome to Sarajevo" is a frustrating, uneven and occasionally harrowing movie about a group of reporters covering the siege of Sarajevo in 1992(This was made in 1997 when there was a much more favorable opinion of journalists in general.), using… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Welcome to Sarajevo" is a frustrating, uneven and occasionally harrowing movie about a group of reporters covering the siege of Sarajevo in 1992(This was made in 1997 when there was a much more favorable opinion of journalists in general.), using archival footage to further complete the setting.(Al D'Amato being the voice of reason is definitely a sign of the apocalypse.) The movie is at its best when it concerns itself with the chaotic lives of the journalists, especially a British television trio, Henderson(Stephen Dillane), Gregg(James Nesbitt) and Jane(Kerry Fox), who work together to cover the war, but most importantly stay alive.(Just so their livers can give out at a future date...) They are guided around the city by their native driver, Risto(Goran Visnjic).(The movie does make an effort to show life in the city from the natives' perspective.) After an American, Flynn(Woody Harrelson), disregards his personal safety to pull a body out of the street, Henderson snaps, becoming obsessed with an orphanage on the front line. And this is where the movie starts to go off the rails.(At this point in his career, director Michael Winterbottom was presumably not experienced enough to avoid any mawkish sentimentality.) Not only are children no more important as victims than adults(Do I really have to quote Bill Hicks again?), but Henderson is so very wrong in his actions, acting selfishly, and accomplishing little in the long run.[/font]

• John B

  
  Winterbottom's Yugo docudrama is powerful and sheds a light on a very real crisis that continued to unfold at the time that the film was made. The chaos of the movie reflects the chaos of Sarajevo.

• Jeffrey M

  
  Welcome to Sarajevo features an effective blend of fact and fiction, incorporating actual archival footage. It has a number of good performances, combined with energetic direction and an often heartbreaking, but authentic, view of war. It does suffer, however, from its loose narrative… More
  Welcome to Sarajevo features an effective blend of fact and fiction, incorporating actual archival footage. It has a number of good performances, combined with energetic direction and an often heartbreaking, but authentic, view of war. It does suffer, however, from its loose narrative structure which makes the film feel a bit unfocused. I would have preferred to have seen a more meditative look at the conflict, including the political complexities. Because of the structure, we never really get emotionally involved with most of the major characters, and are left to wonder what exactly the film is trying to say. Overall the film gives much needed attention to a forgotten conflict, and does just enough right to make it worth a watch. 3/5 Stars

• Cinema F

  
  In a way that recalls Oliver Stone's work and Coppola's style in Gardens of Stone, director Michael Winterbottom interpolates into his recreation of a warzone excerpts from an actual news coverage. And in doing so, this makes the drama more immediate and powerful.… More
  In a way that recalls Oliver Stone's work and Coppola's style in Gardens of Stone, director Michael Winterbottom interpolates into his recreation of a warzone excerpts from an actual news coverage. And in doing so, this makes the drama more immediate and powerful. Winterbottom's stylistic concept in terms of structure was to give the film a sense of being divided into chapters that were terse, tense and affecting. The intercutting of the news footage with the film material creates a jolting effect as the story flips back and forth between drama and the wider context. The story follows a group of journalists who spend their days braving the front lines, searching for footage that will guarantee them a prime slot on their local newscast. Their adage: To get the story they're prepared to risk everything. Granted, the flick testifies to the toll that war takes on families and communities. Yet amidst all of the horrow it shows, also suggests the immense goodness that war can compel, from Michael's decision to take one of the children home to the UK and away from the war, to the sense of loyalty that one of the young Sarajevan men shows Michael. And yes, the people of Sarajevo resisted the siege by trying to carry on as normal, shopping and socialising with style and grace in the teeth of this montrous inhumanity. Using archival news footage of politicians, the film makes straightforward, pointed comments about the absence of support for the victims of the war.

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