Merima Ovčina

When Slavko's old friend Djulaga dies, Slavko feels obliged to go to the funeral. But in his hometown of Mostar, in Bosnia & Herzegovina, this simple social obligation has the potential to get him into all kinds of trouble: with his neighbors or even with local political bigwigs. Yet if he does not go, his wife will think he's a coward, the grieving family will never forgive him - and he might have trouble forgiving himself. This is a compelling tale of everyday life in a fractured society, and a world where paranoia, comedy and drama co-exist. It is also an astute psychological portrait of a man who is forced to cross the invisible line that divides two communities. Above all, it is the story of a man who lost everything that defined him, when his country disintegrated.

Since Zlatan fled the war in former Yugoslavia, his contact with his homeland has only consisted of him regularly sending money to his old aunt who is the only surviving relative there. Now his adult daughter is set on visiting Sarajevo (Zlatan’s hometown) together with him in order to walk the streets of his youth and hear his story. Despite initial unwillingness, Zlatan lets himself be persuaded and the reunion with the home country brings both absurd surprises and secrets from the past.