Macedonia, early Yugoslavia becomes the setting for this film. The civil war is on the brink and in 1995 the country is in the midst of an ethnic struggle. London provides the other backdrop for the film. The film follows several interwoven character's lives throughout different perspectives of this film, beginning with a peaceful monastic garden and ending with a young muslim girl running for her life. The monks at the monastery seem to represent Religion that is shown as both problematic between muslims and christians, as they fight for no reason other than religious difference, but sheltering as these monks shelter a young girl. there is both compassion and irrationality within their life, demonstrated very well in the scene that the monk who took the vow of silence is being turned out of the monastery, with a slap and a hug.
The images of the film are beautifully shot, especially the scene in which the photographer and his lover make out in the car, as we see the reflections in the windows, shielding the couple from the real world.
A storm is coming, but never comes, and yet it does.
Time never dies, the circle is not round.... This is the chronological theory of the film, as there and time discrepancies, and some plot holes, but everything comes together in the end, as all is connected, but lives on. The script is powerful, and the actors are both convincing and effective. They allow a human perspective to the events of the mid 90s that we heard about on the news, but never saw.
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