Rare is the documentary that bears the weight of the latest film from Kumjana Novakova. It is initially difficult to reconcile the grainy photos of indeterminate urban landscapes with the women's voices describing the systematic sexual violence used during the 1990s Bosnian war dispassionately and matter-of-factly. This simple tactic gives rise to a symbolic dimension as years later the victims have finally been able to speak out. Moreover, these shocking monologues are the record of sworn testimony before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Testimony that led to the conviction and sentencing of criminals in uniform. The film's visual narrative, composed of ostensibly mundane images of tenement houses and apartment blocks, is a catalogue of documented crime scenes. 

Konrad Wirkowski