10 Minutes (2002)

The Age of Commercialism

Simply A Masterpiece

A Masterpiece!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This short film from 13 years ago runs for as long as its title suggests. We see an Asian tourist get his photo to a local store, so the owner is going to develop them and he advertises with being so fast that it's only gonna take him 10 minutes to do so. While the process is going on, we switch to another completely distant location in the world where a little boy loses his parents after a military attack. This is the exact opposite of what we saw before. Terror and destruction are at reign. I have to say it was an interesting idea, but there is just nothing really exciting or memorable from this short film other than the message that 10 minutes may appear very short to one person, but they can appear very long to another and tragic events can happen within that short period of time. This was the first directorial effort by filmmaker Ahmed Imamovic and taking that into account it is an okay achievement. Also there are not really that many movies about the war in the Balcan out there. First I thought this was about the Kosovo, but the description says Bosnia. Anyway, this may be the most famous short film about war in that particular area of the world. Still I cannot really recommend it. Maybe they could have cut it down to 5 minutes without the insignificant scenes and adjusted the whole action and references to that period.

10 minutes is a short film made by Bosnian film director Ahmed Imamovic and won the Best European Short Film award back in 2002. This film is about contrast situation between the peaceful Rome city and Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. The film starts with Japanese tourist in Rome who go to a photo shop and ask the shop to print his photos. The Italian shopkeeper then ask him to wait 10 minutes until his photo done. Meanwhile, in Sarajevo Bosnia, which was torn apart by the Bosnian War, a kid is asked by his mom to buy a bread. About 10 minutes later, his town is attacked and his life changed forever. The greatest thing about this film is Imamovic managed to take the whole Bosnian scene with only one shot!! The camera doesn't change shot at all, continuing events after events. It doesn't shake and take every scene with perfect angle. The film statement was amazing, how can life change in other parts of the world in such short time without us even noticing it. We who live in a relatively good place should appreciate every passing minutes, because there are millions other people who aren't as lucky as us. This film combines great art of cinematography and strong film statement. Brilliant camera technique, acting, and actors selection combined with such strong screenplay. This is one of the best short film I've ever seen..

The film begins with a Japanese tourist entering an Italian photo developers and he can't believe that they can process his pictures in just ten minutes. The man behind the counter assures him this is true and you see the tourist leave the shop--and you see the time in the foreground. Then, abruptly, the scene changes. At first it isn't certain where you are, but it seems to be Bosnia. A mother is making dinner for her husband who is coming home from the battle front. She sends her oldest child out to get bread and he must run through a war zone to get food. In the space of time it took to get the photos developed, this little boy will have his entire life shattered and the film ends with the Japanese man picking up his pictures.This is a truly exceptional short film. The style and way it juxtaposed two moments in time was very clever and it sure packs an emotional wallop! A very clever and personal way to help the world see the madness of this war.

A Japanese tourist is in Italy, merrily taking snapshots of all there is to see. He goes into a shop and, despite his disbelief, hands over his film to the shopkeeper who says he can develop it all in under ten minutes; such a short time! Meanwhile in Sarajevo, the same ten minutes seems a lot longer in the life of one boy sent out to fetch some bread and water for the evening meal.I'm not sure why the device of the Japanese tourist was specifically chosen but regardless of how it is delivered, the message of the film is a simple and powerful one. To many of us ten minutes seems like no time at all; the time it takes to fetch a cup of coffee perhaps, or write that email I owed that guy etc. However in other circumstances, ten minutes can see a lot happen. This contrast is played out between the two threads, with the Japanese tourist acting as bookends to the main story. Ignoring this device for a minute what the film does do is deliver a convincing and depressing picture of life in a war zone. OK so the war itself is less than topical but it seems little different in Iraq or Afghanistan – just hotter and with more sand. The delivery of the Sarajevo story is convincingly real. The ending lacked an emotional punch as I had had no time to engage with the characters but the story was still engaging as it did an excellent job of summarising life as a civilian in a war zone; normal activities turning into death, walking a dog becomes a risk etc.A strong but simple film then that is framed well by the idea of 10 minutes as both a very short and very long time, depending on your circumstances. Convincing in delivery even if the emotional content was not all that I had hoped it would be.