Victims, Perpetrators, and Bystanders: Atrocity and its Aftermath in the Films of Jasmila Žbanić
29 Pages Posted: 1 Sep 2023
Date Written: September 1, 2023
Abstract
Following cultural and visual criminologists, who explore cinematic representations of victimhood, gender, witnessing, and memory, I excavate the ‘implicit criminologies’ in four films by Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić: Grbavica (2006); Na putu [On the path] (2010); Za one koji ne mogu da govore [For those who can tell no tales] (2013); and Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020). In criminological terms, Žbanić’s work is strongest as an example of cinematic victimology, but also poses important questions around perpetration and bystanders. By noting the films’ potential to encapsulate universal and particular elements and by casting cinematic knowledge as a collective project, I question the need to hold one film or one director to an overly rigid ethical standard of inclusivity.
Keywords: criminology, film, atrocity, victimology, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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