Witnesses

2003

1h 28m

Drama

War

List

90%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Josko (Kresimir Mikic) is a Croatian soldier recently returned from the front lines of the Serbian-Croatian conflict. Angry over the murder of a fellow soldier, Josko persuades two friends to help him intimidate his Serbian neighbor. Things quickly get out of hand, and Josko finds himself at the center of a murder investigation conducted by Barbir (Drazen Kuhn). Josko's mother (Mirjana Karanovic) asks Josko's brother Kreso (Leon Lucev) to help him, even as Kreso deals with troubles of his own.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Spanning a year beginning in the summer of 1984, The Witnesses offers the considerable satisfaction of a beautifully acted ensemble piece built on the foundation of a serious subject%u2014the dawn of the AIDS crisis%u2014handled just so.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 15, 2008

Full Review

Karl French

Financial Times

An engaging if somewhat inchoate drama set in the early years of Aids.

Oct 19, 2007

Full Review

Tom Dawson

BBC.com

Bristling with emotional intensity, this is far superior to earlier AIDS-related dramas.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 19, 2007

Full Review

John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

revisits Kurosawa's Rashoman structure

Rated: B

Jun 9, 2013

Full Review

Ian Johnston

Total Film

A lively, timely flashback to the early days of AIDS with this character-driven drama.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 19, 2007

Full Review

Tim Evans

Sky Cinema

Techine never lapses into morbid sentimentality and it's interesting for a film to put the horror of AIDs in the 1980s in the perspective of a viewpoint 20-odd years on.

Oct 19, 2007

Full Review

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dave j

Adapted from the novel written by Jurica Pavicic who was also credited for co-writing the screenplay along with it's director, Vinko Bresan. The film opens with 3 soldiers in uniform killing a man after a planned break in of a man's home, When lead investigator, Barbir (Drazen Kuhn) investigates, viewers find out that the killing may be a political since this was during the times when hostilities and tensions arises when both Serbia and Croatians must get along. As the title indicates called "Wiitnesses" there also may be a possible "witness" in which viewers are oblivious about who is being held captive.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good story telling

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

flixster f

September 03, 2014 The repetition of certain sequences, although adding to the events every time to unfold the story further, seems a bit odd. The use of nonlinear narrative may prove to be a turn off for a few good men. If you can take that, it's quite a watchable flick (based on a novel which in turn is said to be inspired from real events). The story reminded me of that saying, "It's not the crime, it's the cover-up." Just saying!! Well, enough said. 3/5 would be fair enough, IMO. Feel free to be a witness & decide the judgment for yourself.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Several of the reviews on this RT site are for the wrong movie. This is not the movie about the opera singer during the early years of AIDS.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rashoman style drama set amidst the troubles after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The emotional drama is tightly clustered around a Croatian family caught up in the war and its consequences. The claustrophobia of small town life piles on even more suspense.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The plot wasn't bad, but I still got a little disappointed with this movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Vinko Bresan

Director

Mirjana Karanovic

Mother

Leon Lucev

Kreso

Alma Prica

Journalist

Kresimir Mikic

Younger Son

Drazen Kuhn

Barbir

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Synopsis

Josko (Kresimir Mikic) is a Croatian soldier recently returned from the front lines of the Serbian-Croatian conflict. Angry over the murder of a fellow soldier, Josko persuades two friends to help him intimidate his Serbian neighbor. Things quickly get out of hand, and Josko finds himself at the center of a murder investigation conducted by Barbir (Drazen Kuhn). Josko's mother (Mirjana Karanovic) asks Josko's brother Kreso (Leon Lucev) to help him, even as Kreso deals with troubles of his own.

Director: Vinko Bresan
Screenwriter: Vinko Bresan, Zivko Zalar, Jurica Pavicic
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: Croatian
Release Date (Streaming): May 27, 2019
Runtime: 1h 28m