The armed conflicts of the 1990s not only visibly destroyed the land of the former Yugoslavia, but also left the deepest wounds in the memory of each of its belligerent nations. There are as many different interpretations of that bleak past as there are countries affected. It is therefore hard to expect absolute harmony when, less than two decades since the war ended, a diverse group of veterans gathers at a remote mountain hotel for a therapy session over several days. On the contrary, such a dangerously volatile situation can suddenly ignite by just one thoughtless word, or a seemingly dirty look. That’s because the former soldiers, obstinately holding on to their fundamental masculinity and their prejudices, refuse to expose the inhumanity of the atrocities perpetrated – be it by them or by someone else.

Direction: Alen Drljević

Script: Alen Drljević, Zoran Solomun

Production: Damir Ibrahimović

Co-Production: Jasmila Žbanić

Cinematography: Erol Zubčević

Editing: Vladimir Gojun

Production Design: Mirna Ler

Costume Design: Sanja Džeba

Make-Up: Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska

Sound: Igor Čamo

Cast: Boris Isaković, Leon Lučev, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Sebastian Cavazza, Ermin Bravo, Boris Ler, Ivo Gregurević, Primož Petkovšek

Original Title: MUŠKARCI NE PLAČU

Original Languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Film Production Countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia

Website: http://deblokada.ba/men-dont-cry/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/Men-Dont-Cry-Muškarci-ne-plaču-122101208397977/

Statement of the Director/s
“Men Don’t Cry” was inspired by the work of a non-governmental organisation Centre for Nonviolent Action whose members are war veterans from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia. During the period from 1991 to 1995, at least 500,000 people from the former Yugoslavia were members of a dozen different military formations which participated in the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The key objective of workshops initiated by the Centre is to involve those people in various peace-promoting activities and, through their joint actions, to create the conditions necessary for building true understanding between peoples of the region.
In the summer of 2010 I signed up to participate in one of the training events for war veterans organised by the Centre. My primary aim was to conduct a research which was to serve as a basis for possibly making a short documentary on the subject. Having been a soldier in the BiH war myself, I thought that my participating in one of these workshops would be the best possible immersion into the ”story”. So, my primary motive was a research for a documentary film and, as for my personal war experience, this was the past I had long since left behind, a chapter in my life closed a long time ago.
The workshop I attended captured me completely. I was sitting with people who had literally fired shots at each other. Or, to put it more precisely: we had fired shots at each other. What started in an atmosphere of mistrust and discomfort, and even tension in communication, turned into quite an uncommon relationship of understanding and compassion. All those deeply buried emotions and unresolved issues which I had carried within me surged to the surface.
Emotional tensions, unusual dynamics in communication and, finally, the catharsis experienced in the workshop have all lead to my deciding to make a feature film on this subject.
Real work and activities carried out by “Center for Nonviolent Action”, served as a motive for developing film script to which we add dramatic elements and fictitious characters. Still, my intention is for the feature film to retain certain elements of documentary. There will not be any flashback scenes in the film, and traumatic scenes from the characters’ war past are replayed in the course of therapeutic workshops.
Actors
In addition to the cast of professional actors from the region, I would like to cast actual war veterans who had participated in the workshops. Amongst the professional actors to be cast for the film there are also those who have first-hand experience of being soldiers in the recent wars (for example the character of Valentin was inspired by a real war experience of the actor Leon Lučev who is supposed to play this character).
However, the real interest of the actors and authors of this film is to explore what our characters may be feeling and experiencing nowadays, rather than to pick apart their war histories. We will endeavour to portray our characters as ordinary people who have all experienced a terrible and devastating conflict, each in their own way, and who are facing a host of emotional and physical problems that they will be battling with for the rest of their lives. In doing that we would like to avoid any kind of sensationalism, false heroism and melodrama.
Furthermore, before we start filming, the whole cast of actors and authors working on the film would be expected to attend a workshop on dealing with the past, led by trainers from the Centre for Nonviolent Action.
Camera
The camera will be an important factor in achieving a documentary feel of the film. And by this I do not mean unsteady hand-held camera! This will be achieved primarily through a combined use of static, tracking and hand-held camera, as well as purposeful combinations of wide shots and close-ups, effective visual-dramatic use of space and contrasts: interior/exterior and dark/light. The camera is supposed to emphasise the stark contrast between claustrophobic and seemingly “theatrical” scenes in the workshops, scenes in other parts of the hotel, and scenes and sequences taking place outdoors and in the “outside” world – the space in which our characters are supposed to be free from constrains.
Scenography and locations
Speaking about space, the relationship between the interior and the exterior plays an enormous role in our film – just as is the relationship between the ever present contrasts enormously important for the characters and the dramaturgy.
The choice of locations and scenography caters entirely to those contrasts: interior and exterior, conscious and subconscious, said and unsaid, dark and light, anxiety and relief, strength and weakness, denial and acceptance…
Costume
Costume is instrumental in the portrayal of our characters.
Why is it that one of the veterans is wearing a suit and another is dressed casually? Why is one of them wearing a thick jumper and is still cold, whilst another has only a T-shirt on and yet is sweating? Are they all wearing dark and gloomy colours (as they tend to do in real workshops) or is there someone amongst them in a, say, bright red hoodie? What sort of clothes is their trainer Ivan wearing – is his costume different, and if so, how different is it to those of the veterans? Those are all questions which require carefully researched answers.
Along with the camera and scenography, the costume is that which should give the film a unique and “true” visual expression.
Music
”Silence is music too.”
This statement is very relevant to the acoustic element of our film. The sounds which will be present throughout the film – deep breaths of our characters as they relive their nightmares, humming of the ventilation pipes in hotel corridors, dogs barking, peacocks screeching, etc. – should all come together in a symphony which will be the most powerful score of the film “Men Don’t Cry”.
CINEMATIC REFERENCES
- 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
Director: Sidney Lumet

References: Claustrophobia of a confined space, absence of the ”outside“ world, acting out of real and possible situations, ability of an individual to influence the overcoming of injustice and prejudice
- DOGVILLE (2003)
Director: Lars von Trier

References: Theatrical and seemingly visually “uncinematic“ space and atmosphere masterfully transformed into a completely cinematic environment and ambience. Powerful storyline, acting and the camera which all draw us into this “uncinematic“ fil

- THE CLASS (2008)
”Entre les murs” (original title)
Director: Laurent Cantet

References: Relationship between an individual and a group (teacher and students), visual style, the use of close-ups, documentary approach (both of the camera and actors)
- LEBANON (2009)
Director: Samuel Maoz

References: Confined space, relationship between the interior and the exterior, inability to envisage the entire space surrounding the characters, relationship between duty and morality, personal motivation of the author
- THE HUNT (2012)
”Jagten” (original title)
Director : Thomas Vinterberg

References: Visual style, the film’s atmosphere, combined use of hand-held camera, static camera and dolly shots, the use of wide shots and close-ups, question of guilt, invisible line in transformation from ”normal” to ”abnormal”
- THE ACT OF KILLING (2012)
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer

References: Facing the past, (in)ability to recognise and accept the guilt, film within a film – acting out of real, painful and traumatic events, the combination of documentary and feature film

Biography of the Director/s
Alen Drljevic was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He graduated at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo in 2005. His diploma short fiction film “Prva plata” (“The paycheck”) was nominated for a European Film Academy Award. His documentary feature debut “Karneval” (“Carnival”) was selected at the IDFA 2006 in “First Appearance” and “Movies that Matter” competitions. He is a member of the European Film Academy. Drljevic also worked as AD on several films including "Grbavica" by Jasmila Zbanic (Golden Bear Award, Berlinale 2006), "On the Path" by Jasmila Zbanic and "For Those Who Can Tell No Tales" 2013

Filmography of the Director/s
PRVA PLATA (Paycheck) – Alen Drljevic, 2005 short fiction, 13 min; Sarajevo Film Festival 2005; - Motovun Film Festival 2006. – best short film; PRIX/UIP award - nomination for a European Film Academy Award (EFA), director/screenwriter
KARNEVAL (Carnival) - Alen Drljevic, 2006, documentary, 70 min,; IDFA 2006. – TOP TEN Movies That Matter; Trieste Film Festival 2007. – audience award – best documentary; BH Festival New York 2007. – best documentary; Motovun Film Festival 2007. – from A to A selection – special mention; director/screenwriter
ESMA - Alen Drljevic, 2007, documentary, 26 min.; Docudays, Kyiv 2008. - Human rights competition – special mention; San Gio Video Festival, Verona 2008. - best video ; GiuriaGiovaniaward; director/screenwriter
SOPING (Shopping) – Alen Drljevic,2008, short fiction, 15 min; director/screenwriter
WESTERN BALKANS – 8 STEPS FORWARD - Alen Drljevic, 2010, documentary; director/screenwriter
2011 – 2016 : series of documentary films produced by Federalna TV
2017 – Men Don’t Cry, feature film, 99 min

Awards Won
Special Jury Award & Europa Cinemas Label Award Karlovy Vary FF; Best Film Award, Bratislava FF; Dragon Award, Goeteborg FF; FIPRESCI Prize, Ljubljana FF; Youth Audience Award, Sarajevo FF; Golden Pram Award for best feature film, Zagreb FF

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