Yugotrip (2004)

The young Bosnian Dejan fled to Germany several years ago because of the Bosnian War. He lives in a refugee shelter with a good friend of his father’s. Dejan is repeatedly haunted by memories, has flashbacks, and sees his former best friends. To escape these memories, he drinks alcohol or smokes joints. One night, while high, he runs out in front of the young Anna’s car. The next day, Dejan calls the number Anna left at the hospital, and the two meet for a drink. In a bistro, an employee seems to recognize Dejan and can only just be stopped from lunging at him with a fork. Anna is fascinated by Dejan and tries to get to know him and his world better. They go out, learn things about each other, and sometimes even recklessly jump off a bridge into the water. They slowly grow closer, but Dejan is repeatedly overcome by flashbacks and aggressive outbursts. When they sleep together, Dejan hears his friends’ sexist remarks and becomes aggressive. Anna manages to fend him off, and Dejan runs away. He has more flashbacks to the war, when he and his friends chased and raped a woman. She was the woman from the bistro. His three friends were shot dead while fleeing at the time; only he managed to escape the war. He confides in Jo, but Jo no longer wants to see Dejan. His marriage fell apart after a soldier raped his wife. Dejan can’t expect any support from Anna either: she has had enough of his behavior and decided to leave the city. In desperation, Dejan tries to find the Bosnian woman. But she no longer works at the bistro, and a neighbor tells him that she emigrated and said, “You couldn’t get far enough away.” When asked how he knows her, Dejan says, “From the war.”