As If I’m Not There review

As If I’m Not There, like Juanita Wilson’s 2008 short film The Door, is a harrowing tale, certainly not family viewing. As with 2008’s A Woman in Berlin, the film personalises war in order to capture the experiences of one woman.

Based on Slavenka Drakulić’s novel, it tells the tale of Samira (Natasha Petrovic) a beautiful young teacher from Sarajevo who when visiting a rural school during the Balkans War gets taken in by soldiers, along with the villagers, and put in a remote warehouse where young women like her are subject to sexual abuse.

Here (again as in A Woman in Berlin) she must learn to survive until the war ends, by the only asset she has available; her looks and her femininity. She uses them to seduce the relatively civilised Commander (Miraj Grbic) who favours her with privileges such as proper meals, which she shares with her criticising fellow women prisoners.

There have been surprisingly few films made outside of the Balkans about the war, and those that exist mostly concentrate on ethnic tensions between soldiers. So it’s refreshing to see a film that looks at a woman’s experience and their particular vulnerability.

Despite its somewhat tragic ending and traumatic events (including a particularly harrowing rape scene, where three soldiers take it in turns with the helpless Samira, culminating in them urinating on her), the film is hopeful about people’s power to endure and make the best out of a dire situation.

The performances from Petrovic – in her debut role – and Grbic are also powerful. Petrovic is particularly outstanding in a highly demanding role which carries the film; you cannot take your eyes off her.

What detracts from the film is the lack of characterisation in the supporting characters. We know hardly anything about the Commander’s life and the other prisoners seem to be there only to show how independent Samira is, while most of the soldiers are simply misogynistic sadists.

There is also a strange non-reaction from most of the prisoners as if their situation wasn’t especially terrible. But ultimately Petrovic’s performance is worth the ticket price alone.