"View from the Bridge" centers on human toll, emotional impact of war and its aftermath
By Anne M. DiTeodoro

View from the Bridge is an intimate, first person look at the people of Kosovo as they try to overcome the powerful legacy of the politics of hate and division.

"We really wanted to show what life was like for ordinary Kosovars," says John Ealer, producer/director. "There are no politicians, no spokespeople, no commentators in the film, just Serbs, Albanians, and Roma (Gypsies) that have tried to rebuild their lives after the war."

Making the film, he and the crew faced the same difficulties that Kosovars did: dangers from extremists, leftover landmines, power outages, water shortages, bad roads and difficulties in moving between different areas of the country.

"But, unlike the people of Kosovo, who are among the poorest in Europe, we weren't stuck there," he says. "We knew we were going to be going home."

For Ealer and Laura Bialis, producer/director, making the movie was a great honor.

"The Kosovars -- whether Albanian, Serb, or Roma -- have experienced tragedy and trauma far beyond anything we could imagine," says Bialis. "Tragedy for us might be the illness or death of a loved one, tragedy for a Kosovar might be the murder or rape of several members of their immediate family and the burning of their house."

Even after all that, she found that the Kosovars could still smile and be optimistic about the future. "It was truly humbling," she says.

Because Kosovo is a country with a unique dynamic, the filmmakers avoided drawing direct comparisons to other conflict areas. "It would be impossible for any film to completely explain the history and context of the conflict," says Bialis. "Instead we try to show the human toll, the emotional impact, of the war and its aftermath in Kosovo."

Ealer further explains: "The ethnic tapestry and history of the Balkans is very complex, and doesn't break down cleanly along ethnic, religious, or political lines. One of the most daunting challenges in making this film was to explain the conflict to the audience. Our approach was to tell a handful of first-person stories that, collected together, sketched out the reality of the place. Treating all the characters with respect and honestly portraying their emotions, I think it's actually very easy for the audience to relate to the stories."

Production of the film was actually delayed over a year because of outbreaks of violence.

"When we filmed in 2005, there definitely was some tension, but it didn't really feel that unsafe," says Ealer. "Some people told us we should bring flak jackets on the shoot. We didn't, and we didn't need them. . . the truth of the matter is that the people who appear in the film were the courageous ones. They're the ones who may face reprisals or repercussions for talking to us. They're the ones who are truly brave."