Eastern Slavonia
June 28, 1999Rob and Leon return to Gunja, the Croatian town across the river from Brcko, Bosnia. They plan to overnight there and head west towards Osijek and Zagreb. But they soon find themselves stuck in Gunja when traffic gets stopped on Highway 1 by a farmers' protest.
After ironing and re-ironing their clothes, the restless filmmakers decide to head out to the highway to check things out for themselves. There they get more good stories, especially from a group of veterans who feel they have been sold out by the Croatian government which is offering them little in the way of economic assistance. The farmers eventually let the filmmakers through and Leon and Rob head on to Vukovar.
Amidst what it is probably the most decimated city in all of Croatia, Leon and Rob manage to find a small flower of hope. They come across a group of teenagers who are involved in a photography group run by a Mostar-based organization called Mladi Most. The filmmakers interview Uli Loskot, an Austrian volunteer with the organization.
Like the interreligious choir run by Father Markovic, Mladi Most also seems to be an example of a well-run local organization that is trying to bring young people of different backgrounds together through the arts or other common interests.
The teenagers invite the filmmakers to a rock concert the following day. Though it is a tempting bit of b-roll, Leon and Rob know they have to make up for precious time lost during days in Gunja. They continue on to the town of Dalj, not far from Osijek. There they get more great interviews -- this time with a group of teachers who seem to be far less hopeful about the younger generation than the Mladi Most group had been.
One of the teachers, Dusana, is very reluctant to talk. Especially after having just heard from young people with so much hope and promise, why would a teacher be so afraid to talk? Though he is sympathetic with her fear, Leon becomes somewhat irritated and actually stands up and leaves the interview while the camera is still rolling. By the time he returns a few minutes later, the other teachers have convinced Dusana to speak. As Leon tells Rob later in the car, "It was kind of like a victory for me and for the documentary."
Following Dalj, Leon and Rob continue on to Osijek where Leon had been once before during the war.
They hit another small town, Bilje, where they meet another group of women who have come together in a knitting circle.
With many stories under their belt, the filmmakers will next head to Zagreb, Leon's hometown. Will they find more stories there?
