MovieChat Forums > In the Land of Blood and Honey (2012) Discussion > Danijel and Ajla *For those who have see...

Danijel and Ajla For those who have seen the movie

posted 12 years ago by angelique4598
21 replies | jump to latest

Slight spoilers herein***

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Just saw this movie last night and it really got to me mainly because I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Danjel despite the horrible things that he did. I don't condone or excuse any of the bad things that he did to her and others on any level. I just felt that in his own way he truly loved Alja (ex. trying to protect her, the pear, the museum). I didn't think that she felt the same for him. I think that she was even more hardened by the war than him, due to her nephew's horrifying murder, and that's why she could not bring herself to love him. It just kind of disappointed me because I thought that a love story was supposed to be a little bit reciprocated. I don't know if it was the actress (I watched the english version BTW) or if the story was meant to be that one-sided.

It kind of disappointed me a little bit because I expected both their feelings to be a little more ambiguous.

What do you guys think?

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[–] wiccaca 12 years ago

The point she was trying to make across with this whole movie is that war destroys relationships and changes people. It defines who we are.

It wasn't supposed to be some lovey-dovey love story that ends well.

[–] mmajstor 12 years ago

Yes, from artist she become artist and from cop he become war criminal. How nicely and how stupid.

It is lovely-dovely story that starts bad, continue to be bad and finishes it bad.

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[–] mmajstor 12 years ago

That`s easy because movie is negative, and I don`t have a problem with stating that :)

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[–] mmajstor 12 years ago

This is not a movie about love. It is political pamflet wrap ip into some so called love story, in order that plain people could easy swallow it.

[–] angelique4598 12 years ago

I wasn't expecting lovey dovey and I was almost sure before seeing it that it was going to end badly, but I was hoping for a little more of a complexity or maybe a different type of complexity/tension. I didn't feel much character development from Ajla. From Danijel I could see the internal conflict. I don't know, maybe I listened too much to the pre-movie pr and expected too much from this movie.

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[–] angelique4598 12 years ago

I wish that a little information was given on their relationship before the war. He mentions that he thought about her for four months and looked for her. He constantly thought of someone for whom he didn't even know where she lived or what she even did for a living? That just struck me as bizarre. They also seemed a little too close in that club for a first date. I felt that the lack of background for them was one of the many things that took away from their relationship.

I really was disappointed by the character of Ajla. Danijel's father had more depth to his character than she did. This movie had potential, but I think it just fell flat.

I did love the first five minutes though. The cinematography as well as the general atmosphere of the club and the city was lovely. Unfortunately it just went downhill from minute 6.

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[–] angelique4598 12 years ago

I know, the music was awesome :)

[–] angelique4598 12 years ago

The only thing that really kept me watching was Goran Kostic because I thought he did a good job! I was able to feel more sympathy for him than I was for Ajla & that really shocked me because she was the one who was the victim of the atrocities.

[–] Kalloyan 12 years ago

"Danijel's father had more depth to his character than she did" - completely agree with you but it's thanks to Rade Serbedzija, he is such a great actor. With all due respect to Angelina but the lead acting was bad, the directing was bad and worst of all was the screenwriting. The score was okay though. Very disappointing film with a great potential.
And why the actors needed to speak in English? This made their performance so stiff. Instead of concentrating on their acting they were thinking how to say their lines in English.

[–] Falconeer 11 years ago

no, as it turned out, Ajla couldn't bring herself to love Danijel, and that is the beauty of this film. It is totally unique in the way it handled their relationship. To have her love him back would be so typical, but the end is that much more shocking when you find out that she actually did not share his feelings. Her hatred was stronger than her love, and her desire to stay alive was stronger than her need to be in a man's arms. I absolutely loved this film! And like you, I did feel for Danijel; all the hatred that his father instilled in him would drive most people insane. and in the end, she broke his heart and destroyed him. What a great, unconventional love story this was..

"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'

[–] foton 11 years ago

Loved your comment & don't listen to haters (for political reasons) or just Angelina Jolie haters, though I don't like her much myself but the movie had such an amazing love story & was beautifully done in an artistc- though a bit stark way sometimes...
But I have to disagree with you about Ajla 's feelings for Danijel , I think she loved him just in the same way he loved her ..She willingly passed two chances to run away at the concentration camp & at the very end ..just to be with him again risking horrible fate in both cases ...

[–] adelg3 9 years ago

This is late but I think they were both horribly conflicted on how they felt about each other and I felt that I couldn't blame either one of them for many of the choices they made. The instinct to survive became stronger and stronger for both of them which is why their relationship got so disturbing. It was like was Angelina said in an interview. It was a love story that coud have been but the war changed that. Their hatred for what was happening started to bleed into and blur their feelings for each other.

Danijel and Ajla *For those who have seen the movie*

Danijel and Ajla For those who have seen the movie