The film Our Everyday Life, this year’s Bosnian and Herzegovinian Oscar candidate, focuses on the life and decay of an average family from Sarajevo in the post-war society, but without the usual pompous dramatic qualities of films that tackle war and poverty. The feature fiction debut by Sarajevo-based director Ines Tanović is a realistic and heart-warming portrayal of a part of the society which is not as present on the big screen and does not involve war directly, although it seems almost impossible to make a Bosnian film completely separated from the war and its consequences on all the aspects of life.
After divorcing his wife Nina, 30-year-old Saša (masterfully portrayed by Uliks Fehmiu) is back to live with his parents. His father Muhamed (Emir Hadžihafizbegović) is an employee at a respected company, his mother Marija is a housewife (Jasna Ornela Bery) and sister Senada (Vedrana Seksan) is pregnant and lives in Slovenia with her boyfriend. When it turns out that Marija has cancer, father and son finally realise how important family is.
Told through the traditional Bosnian sevdah song, the destinies and emotions of the protagonists paint a familiar and heart-warming picture, one of those we meet all around us. A true everyday story.