REVIEW: Dara of Jasenovac Provides a Different Look at World War II History

Director Peter Antonijevic takes a look into Jasenovac, a concentration camp located in what is now present day Croatia in his new film, Dara of Jasenovac. Run by the fascist Ustase government, the story is told from the eyes of ten year old Dara (Biljana Cekic), who is sent to the camp with her mother and two brothers. Dara witnesses unspeakable cruelty and the brutal murders of Jews, Serbs, and Roma people while trapped in the camp and she must do everything in her power to survive and protect her infant brother from the same fate.

Antonijevic’s Dara of Jasenovac focuses on a part of World War II history that isn’t often highlighted, the Ustaše regime. The Ustaše were Croatian fascists that used the Jasenovac concentration camp to try and rid their world of those who are not of Croat blood. Dara of Jasenovac makes one of the 10 largest concentration camps in Europe and the horrors that unfolded inside its walls the central focus of its film. The officers at Jasenovac believed in one on one violence, which is heavily depicted in the film. Add in the fact that Antonijevic decided to tell the story from a ten year old’s point of view and you will end the film mentally exhausted.

Serbia’s official Academy Awards selection for Best International Feature isn’t for the faint at heart, but it is definitely a film worth checking out. For her first acting gig, Cekic’s performance would make you think she had been doing this for years. No matter if she is by herself or with a co-star, she beautifully pulls off every scene she is in. Her performance will leave many wanting to jump through the screen to try and protect her from the horrors within Jasenovac.

Films that focus on the Holocaust are never easy films, but they are necessary. They shed light on a history that should never be forgotten and Dara of Jasenovac sheds even more light on this tragedy. It gives viewers a new look at the horrors that were the Holocaust and, the film, will definitely leave an impact on you when all is said and done. Just make sure you are mentally prepared before you sit down to watch the film.

Grade: A