Mirka (film)

Plot

Mirka is searching for his mother in an unidentified Balkan nation, he is befriended by Strix (Depardieu) who promises to help. Kalsan (Redgrave) is surprised at the sudden arrival of Mirka, a foreign child in her midst. In a turn of events, it emerges that he is her grandson. Unlike the villagers that participated in a silent infanticide against ethnic rape children, Kalsan saved Mirka and took him to a city orphanage. The tragic story is unveiled by Kalsan's niece, Elena who became pregnant with Mirka after being the victim of an ethnic war rape. Elena has long believed her child to be dead so his appearance shakes the fabric of the household. Mirka's ethnicity leads to his persecution by the villagers.

Cast

Production

The Italian-French-Spanish co-production was shot in 1999 in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

The director, Rachid Benhadj cast his son, Karim in the titular role. The film also received funding from the Italian government and the Euroimages Fund of the Council of Europe.

Benhadj described his reasoning for the narrative, "History repeats itself against women. They are victims of violence and rape in war and in emergency situations".

Reception

Alberto Crespi of l'Unità described the film as "timeless", enforcing that the strength of the film lies in the violent nature of the circumstances. The newspaper felt that some of the international casting was unsettling but felt Redgrave gave a good performance. Although Crespi felt Bobulova was perfectlty cast in the role of Elena. He also praised Benhadj's "intense" performance as the titular character and described it as a "generous" film.

Roberto Nepoti of la Repubblica said it was the first film to show how ethnic rape is used as a weapon to "pollute" a biological race and ensure the dominance of another. Nepoti praised Redgrave's "committed" performance, miroring her real-life battles in defence of civilization. He continued to praise the casting of Bobulova, Benhadj and Rubini as well as the cinematography of Storato. He also praised the director for going against the traditional mould of Yugoslavian war films, and instead creating a more universal film.