IFFR 2021 - Quo Vadis, Aida?
IFFRTruth in adaptation is usually mired by Hollywood semantics or the lust and desire for a credible, rewarding ending. Quo Vadis, Aida? looks to overcome such a hurdle by highlighting that, while it may be based on the true story of a translator attempting to save the lives of her loved ones during the Bosnian genocide, it is fictionalised for “dramatic purposes.” Director Jasmila Žbanić is unflinching and bold in their determination to highlight such a horrible atrocity, emotive and stark in her criticism of how bureaucracy stood in the way of aid and freedom for the tens of thousands who lost their lives to such unimaginable horrors.
Quo Vadis, Aida? brings one story of many to the forefront of the mind. Jasna Đuričić is a force of nature here, the importance of her performance comes from her natural ability to craft a compelling narrative around her. She does not take centre stage, Đuričić instead hopes to convey the mania and lack of understanding the United Nations offered to Bosnians in a time of severe crisis. Political tensions take centre stage, an unrelenting series of taut, rigid trepidations await those inside of the UN safe zone as well as on the outside. A myriad of coy, horrible tricks and lack of action on both Serbian and Dutch sides lead to a fractured, warring civilian population, all confined to one, large warehouse.
With such a delicate piece of modern history to unfold, Quo Vadis, Aida? smartly attaches its story to the lives of a few torn people. They are representatives of the injustice felt by an entire country, the emotionless response that greeted them, and the warfare that followed. Đuričić and Žbanić turn in early contenders for best of the year in acting and directing respectively. Both bring such emotive detail to a pocket of modern history that those in the west may not be entirely aware of. A tragedy, too, the message and performances capture such a brutal range of emotions, a hard-hitting, heart-racing series of events that craft such consistency and passionate craft. From the eyes of a voluntary UN translator, Quo Vadis, Aida? adapts the horrible war crimes of Ratko Mladić, here played by Boris Isaković in an unrelentingly strong supporting performance.
There is no black and white viewpoint to be had. There is no need to detail the thoughts of the oppressor, for their ideals and minds are sick and disgusting. Žbanić explains the long-term impact genocide has on a country, without actually referring to the modern-day strife of Bosnia. Emotionally charged, Quo Vadis, Aida? holds the horrors of humanitarian crises, infused with a gut-wrenching message on looking out for the most vulnerable, those many who need a helping hand or intervention in a time of life or death. An extraordinary, touching piece that considers how important family is, and how we would be lost without loved ones in our lives.