Don't know where to start. Yes this might contain spoilers so don't read it you don't wanna know :) I read the book from Margaret twice. The impact the book had on me was enormous. Beautifully written with characters you immediately felt in love with and which are very hard to forget. The movie did bring the characters and the book alive. To certain extend. The truth is it is hard to come even close to emotional impact the book had. The feelings the main protagonists had in the book was only partly shown in the movie. Actually the casting was spot on. I wouldn't choose better. They were clearly chosen with great care. They did act perfectly. The story Margaret wrote is hard to stomach. The drive to be a mother can be incredibly strong. And Gemma had this strong drive, but also she wasn't able to have the child. Diego loved her. Until the end. There was part in the book and in the movie as well where one would think that he stopped loving her. But as he was pure and good to the core he never stopped. He made sacrifices and he saved a child in process. He also was coward in the moment he should act. This is the beauty of the movie. It shows the war and the incredible impact it has on people. It shows that people can turn into cowards and heroes. Aska's story was particularly difficult to watch( even worse in the book). There were parts in the movie which really broke my heart. The part which showed how happy the people were in Sarajevo before the war. How beautiful and cheerful. And how quickly it was turned into a nightmare. I can't imagine how difficult has to be to watch movies like this who actually went through all of that in Bosnia. Aska's fate which was fate of many women in the war.
The one thing I missed was more of Gojko's story.. Adnan was wonderful in Gojko's story but there were parts I really missed and which were in the book. Also more of Gemma's father he was very important in the book. The movie might be hectic at times & hard to follow. Also I don't know whether I could connect to the characters as I did if I hadn't had read the book first. I felt that the story line was little bit rushed. This might be an issue for some people.
Hard to watch movie. Makes you thing, cry but also brings hope. Well worth 2 hours of your life.
The one thing I missed was more of Gojko's story.. Adnan was wonderful in Gojko's story but there were parts I really missed and which were in the book. Also more of Gemma's father he was very important in the book. The movie might be hectic at times & hard to follow. Also I don't know whether I could connect to the characters as I did if I hadn't had read the book first. I felt that the story line was little bit rushed. This might be an issue for some people.
Hard to watch movie. Makes you thing, cry but also brings hope. Well worth 2 hours of your life.