Parents' Guide to

In the Land of Blood and Honey

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Angelina Jolie's movie is both horrifying and unengaging.

Movie R 2011 127 minutes
In the Land of Blood and Honey Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Set in the early 1990s in Bosnia-Herzegovina, IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY tells the story of the Bosnian War. It doesn't go into detail about the war's history, but the Serbian soldiers are the bad guys, and the peaceful Croatian Muslims are the good guys. A Croat woman, Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) has a date with a Serbian man, Danijel (Goran Kostic), just as the war breaks out. Soon, Ajla finds herself a prisoner in a camp under his command. Danijel is against the war, but he can't stand up to his powerful father, Nebojsa (Rade Serbedzija). He decides to keep Ajla prisoner to protect her from rape and brutality by his fellow soldiers; she escapes but is recaptured. This time he allows her to paint, and she grows comfortable -- or is she only biding her time?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

Angelina Jolie makes her feature writing and directing debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey, and she makes a critical error. In her deep desire to send a message about the atrocities committed in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995, she forgets to spend much time on emotionally interesting characters. Instead, she jumps right into the atrocities, and viewers get scene after scene of rape, blood, and brutality.

In fact, it's actually unclear whether the main characters are ever really in love with each other. They seem happy for about one minute before the war starts, but afterward their relationship is cold and ambiguous. Danijel is shown to be weak and ineffective, and he's not appealing. Whether the point is romance or escape is unclear, and the movie fails to work in either direction. There's a ridiculous attempt to keep Ajla beautiful even after months in a prison camp, and though there are lessons about "empty space," they fall flat, as they're explained rather than suggested.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about In the Land of Blood and Honey's extreme violence. Was it all necessary to get the movie's point across? What impact does it have?

  • The movie has several sex scenes between the lead characters. Are they in a loving relationship, or is the sex more about power? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

Movie Details

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