Nominated for the Golden Palm and winning the 2001 screenwriting award at Cannes, first time director-writer director Danis Tanovic No Man's Land plays out very much like Waiting for Godot set in 1993 Bosnia-Herzegovina.

After a nightly fog covers the battlefield, a group of Bosnian soldiers are creeping towards the front lines, only to get torn to shreds when the fog lifts in the morning. Chiki (Branko Djuric), survives the attack, finding a temporarily safe trench in no man’s land but cannot return to the Bosnian side. Soon two Serbs hunt for survivors and set a deadly "bouncing bomb" trap underneath Bosnian soldier Cera (Filip Sovagovic), whom they assume to be dead. Chiki kills one of the Serbs, leaving the other alive. This is Nino (Rene Bitorajac).

The two enemies make an uneasy truce with some lively banter that clearly demonstrates how difficult it will be to maintain stability in the region. They bounce off each other like bumper cars, often in conflict but occasionally finding common ground—the time they discover that both know a girl in common from a small town. Neither can return to his side without being shot by the opponents on the front line, and soon their situation becomes even more precarious when Cera awakens.

Lying on his back, Cera cannot move. To do so would implode the bomb, and everyone in the trench would be killed. And you thought you were about to “explode” when you needed to use the restroom!

A decidedly anti-war film, No Man's Land involves other important groups instrumental in the situation—the media and the United Nations. How this all plays out is more symbolic than real—director Tanovic establishes the absurdity of the war effort much like Kubrick does in Dr. Strangelove. The victim lying on top of the bouncing bomb may recall the scene with the sniper near the end of Full Metal Jacket, only Cera isn't begging to be killed—he just wants to take a shit.

The Serb and Bosnian in the trench get the most screen time, and their dialogue represents a microcosm of the conflict between the warring sides. The interplay between the two actors feels very natural and is often humorous. Through their actions you can judge whether Tanovic sees hope for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A far dimmer view is taken towards the bungling and manipulative United Nations General Soft (Simon Callow), who only thinks in terms of his own interests that over-ride a far more conscientious officer. The media doesn’t fare well either in the Bosnian director’s film—they only ask cliché questions (imagine asking a soldier “How do you feel?” after a wartime ordeal). All the media want are quick photo-ops and “sexy” stories for rating purposes, and they are easily duped by the equally self-serving UN general.

Other anti-war films like the epic Apocalypse Now! and Saving Private Ryan have operated on far larger budgets and showed more realistic blood and guts while dealing with universal questions. A few years ago the docu-drama Welcome to Sarajevo introduced a realistic picture of “Hell on Earth” for modern times, but No Man's Land serves its purpose on a limited budget. The absurd situation creates lasting images that don't diminish with time. The devastatingly honest and thought-provoking film deserves a wider audience than Behind Enemy Lines, which presents a far more ludicrous Hollywood-style heroic take on the Bosnian War.