Armin

"Armin" is potentially a slogger film, but relies on omission as its saving grace. If you think about the pace of this film in a logical way - it really shouldn't work. Not too much happens; not too much changes. The shots are average in length, but offer a seductive silence that teases curiousity, and cultivates patience. What's odder about the pacing is "Armin" isn't even a mystery, far from a horror flick, but a comedy of sorts.

Ibro (Emir Hadzihafisbegovic) waits with his son, Armin (Armin Omerovic), by a bus stop in Bosnia. All we know is that they're headed for Zagreb, the largest city in Croatia. For the first ten minutes of the film, we are unaware of their names, the nature of their relationship, and lastly, whether they even know each other. On the bus, naturally, they sit next to each other, and still not a word has come out of Armin's mouth. Though Ibro is a bit of a chatterbox; he drinks from a flask, talks to the businessman in a seat nearby, and then, tosses insults at the bus driver for his lack of skill. All the while, Armin sits in silence.

When they arrive, we finally learn that Armin is auditioning for a German film about the Balkan conflict. Armin reads the script in a way that someone who doesn't know how to act does: without emotion, or rhythm. Throughout the lobbies, bars, and hallways of the hotel, Ibro manages to brag about his son's accordian playing skills - something, he believes, none of the kids have, or are even capable of.

Their trip to Croatia symbolizes a global trend in the "widening gap." Ibro is baffled by modern technology such as the hand dryer in the men's bathroom, and car alarms. Armin refuses whenever his father wants to buy him something - a characteristic of a child who feels guilty of spending money they know their parents don't have. But Ibro is supercilious, and always insists until his son finally gives in, and so his ego is satisfied.

Armin's first indulgence is eating an enormous amount of McDonald's - something every small-town Euroteen can never seem to resist. Then he's interested in a world atlas he sees in a newspaper stand. Ibro immediately buys it for him even though Armin protests this as well. Back at the room, they look it over, and Ibro comments on how large China is; a sort of subconcious realization of how small they actually are.

This is reiterated through awkward social situations in the hotel lounge with film people. Ibro is loud, a little dorky - even his speech lacks assimilation. He's is ultimately laughed at, but luckily, too drunk to notice. This is relatively subtle like everything else in the film, and this subtlety is precisely what makes it so interesting.

What's more interesting is Ognjen Svilicic wrote "The Melon Route," Armin Omerovic's acting debut. This leaves us wondering what the fact-to-fiction ratio of "Armin," the film, really is. Ultimately, this film serves as an interesting critique of what it is to be a foreigner; futhermore, what lacking privilege can really mean - especially when combined with facing true hardships. In this context, success by many would be considered just plain survival, and this epiphany is exactly what Ibro and Armin get to take home, back to Bosnia, with them.

Written and Directed by Ognjen Svilicic.



I was unable to locate a trailer with subtitles...sorry!