An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Danis Tanovic, 2013): Bosnia

Reviewed by Sofie Larsson. Viewed at AFI Film Fest, Hollywood 2013.

Danis Tanovic ”An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker”, is a drama recorded in Tanovic homeland Bosnia-Herzegovina. It’s about an poor family in a small village who has to face some big economic issues. Filmed in the bleak cold winter just to show us what a robust, grim social realism this timely drama is. I watch the film at AFI film fest, Hollywood and sometimes the amateurs actors Nazif Mujic and Senada Alimanovic had blank and underpowered performances. The two cute daughters, Semsa and Sandra Mujic, on the other hand did an impressively acting during this touching sad story.

The film takes place in a small apartment, the obese pregnant mom, Senada, is always home with her two children Sandra and Semsa while the father, Nazif, is doing the best he can, working, to support the family. One day when Senada is doing laundry, her stomach starts hurting. Nazif find her laying down on the sofa when he comes home from his job. Next morning, her stomach is bleeding, it’s freezing cold outside and Nazif fights to start the engine. When the car finally starts, he takes her to the hospital and finds out that she has miscarried and urgently requires surgery to prevent septicaemia. They drive to the clinic just to find out that without any medical insurance, the operation will cost 980 bosnian marks (677 US dollar). Nazif is begging the nurse to make an exception but the hospital bosses determined says no payment, no surgery. So they drive home again, children unknown about what is happening. Nazif don’t know who would take care of the children if something happens to his wife and refuse to give up. He is digging through dumps to find money, struggling with his pregnant wife pain and tries to get social service to help him safe her. As if their life hasn’t been dammed enough, the car breaks down and the power switched off because they don’t have any money to pay for Electricity. It’s pointless, only by breaking the law, Senadas life can be safed.

An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, is based by a true story and Danis Tanovic did a great job producing it. the framing is perfect. While using gray cold colors and filming during the midwinter, it really give the audience the impression on how bloody rough the family struggle is. By filming hand-held from behind and close from the side, Tanovic, makes it feels like we, the audience, is a part of the movie. Which makes it all realistic, people are living like this in our world. Just that fact that it’s almost no sound except natural cold winter winds and that little fact that the father, Nazif, is missing almost all teeth, makes the message clear. How horrible peoples life can be without a social safety net.

As I said in the beginning An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker is an touching story about this poor family that struggle to survive life. It may not be my first choice of a movie but consider the fact that it’s produced with real people instead of actors and with a really small budget, it’s a sadly family drama about how unfair life can be. It reach my heart and made me realize how lucky I’m to live in Sweden, a country, were health care is free for everyone.