The White Fortress (“Tabija”) – Movie Review
88 Minutes, Not Rated
Written and Directed by Igor Drljaca
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Synopsis:
In a rundown Sarajevo suburb, Faruk is an orphan who lives with his ill grandmother and spends his days foraging for scrap metal and dabbling in petty crime. One day he meets Mona, a timid teen from a politically powerful and affluent family. As Mona dreams of escaping the overbearing toxicity of her home life, she seeks refuge and opens herself up to Faruk, a boy from a world entirely different than her own.
The White Fortress isn’t a bad movie, per se, nor is it a slow movie. It’s very deliberate, moving the audience through the lives of its protagonist(s) Faruk and Mona, though the focus is mostly on Faruk for most of the film.
Mona is relegated to motivating factor/unattainable symbol of a life Faruk can’t have for the majority of the film, instead of the intriguing, damaged, young lady we know her to be. Even at the end, she provides the coda not just to her own story, but Faruk’s, as well.
As a result, the bulk of the film is depicted as longing, as Faruk seems convinced there might be a way to escape the terrible hand life has dealt him, through long (often too long) shots of staring wistfully into the sky, or into Mona’s eyes, which does nothing but continually hammer home what is abundantly clear: Faruk’s life in post-war Sarajevo sucks.
Mona, meanwhile, would be considered a “poor little rich girl” in American cinema. Her politician father is under investigation for corruption, and she is treated a s familial prop for his upcoming campaign (sound familiar to any political junkies out there?).
She’s not a bad character, by any stretch of the imagination, and she’s definitely worth more than she’s given here.
Faruk, meanwhile, walks a tightrope between salvaging scrap metal with his uncle or doing other, more unsavory, favors for a local crime lord (clearly involving young women… like Mona).
The White Fortress is an interesting movie, but I think to western audiences it might be considered slow or unresolved. But it’s certainly a quality bit of filmmaking.
The White Fortress is currently available to screen in select theaters and on digital platforms and stars Pavle Čemerkić, Sumeja Dardagan, Jasmin Geljo, Kerim Čutuna, Alban Ukaj, and Irena Mulamuhić.
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