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In the Land of Blood and Honey

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Movie · 2011 · 15 people

War drama and love story meet against the backdrop of the Bosnian War in In the Land of Blood and Honey, released in Turkey as Kan ve Aşk. Angelina Jolie wrote, directed and produced it, her first commercially released film as a director. GK Films produced it, and the leads are Zana Marjanović, Goran Kostić and Rade Šerbedžija.

The story begins in the early 1990s, in the days of the siege of Sarajevo and ethnic cleansing. Danijel, a soldier fighting on the Serb side, meets Ajla, a Bosnian Muslim woman he knew before the war, again in a prison camp. Two people who should be enemies are caught between old feelings and the rules the war imposes, and the film follows their bond without looking away from mass rape and violence.

The film had its world premiere at the School of Visual Arts in New York on December 5, 2011, and opened in limited release in the United States on December 23. Its European premiere followed on February 12, 2012 at the Berlin film festival, out of competition, and it was shown in Sarajevo two days later. Part of the shooting took place in Hungary rather than Sarajevo. The film received the Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award, while some critics faulted it for one-sidedness and historical inaccuracies.

DirectorAngelina Jolie
Production companyGK Films
In the Land of Blood and Honey In the Land of Blood and Honey

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Cast

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Ermin Bravo Ermin Bravo Actor · 46 years old Jasna Beri Actor · 72 years old Rade Šerbedžija Goran Kostić Zana Marjanović Vanessa Glodjo Nikola Đuričko Branko Đurić Jelena Jovanova Goran Jevtić Miloš Timotijević Boris Ler Ermin Sijamija Džana Pinjo Dolya Gavanski

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The Bosnian War, the siege of Sarajevo and ethnic cleansing are among the heaviest pages of recent history, and telling that material through a love story is both a brave and a contentious choice. The bond between Danijel, who fights on the Serb side, and Ajla, a Bosnian Muslim, brings to a personal level how people who knew each other before the war were suddenly split into enemy camps. But it is worth knowing that some critics faulted the film for one-sidedness and historical inaccuracies; on so sensitive a subject it should be watched as an interpretation, not as history itself. That it does not look away from war crimes such as mass rape matters.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Angelina Jolie's first commercially released film as a director shows in every frame its intention to treat a serious subject seriously. The real problem is the balance between the love story and the war drama. When the relationship between the two characters is not built with enough layers to carry the story's moral and political weight, the film's decision to show the violence risks turning into repetition rather than creating meaning. The Producers Guild's Stanley Kramer Award recognises the film's social concern, but that concern cannot fully cover the script's structural weaknesses.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This is not a film to watch with children or older relatives. War violence, a prison camp and mass rape are shown directly. The subject is very heavy and at times hard to watch. It can be meaningful for adults who want to understand recent history, but even teenagers should know in advance what they are about to see.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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