If you’re expecting a documentary about the particular U2 concert in Sarajevo, to focus exclusively on U2, you’re not really going to get it in Kiss the Future. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably the best approach for this particular documentary, as it focuses more on the way Sarajevans found solidarity with each other through the music U2 made in response to the Northern Ireland troubles, and thus, of course, the film needed to focus as well on the Sarajevans’ conflict. Director Nenad Cicin-Sain got key viewpoints on the Bosnian War in Sarajevo, such as Christiane Amanpour, who covered the war, and former President Bill Clinton, but Kiss the Future shines when we hear from the people on the ground, from the Sarajevans that gone through this harrowing time.
"While an interesting ’90s history lesson, Nenad Cicin-Sain's film could have benefited from portraying Sarejevo's resident artists at the close as extensively as it does at the beginning."
— Chris Willman
An exploration of the perils of nationalism and art’s role as a weapon of resistance and activism throughout the 1990s Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. Explore how art and music sustained hope, thanks in part to humanitarians and the band U2.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the fate of Yugoslavia was up in the air, with a war waged across the lines of race and ethnicity. While under siege, the people of Sarajevo go underground, using music and art to effect change, with unexpected support from popular band U2.
The perspective. A documentary like this could have easily been more focused entirely on U2, but it would have felt like it was U2 patting itself on the back. Thankfully, they didn't really do that here.
This is what music is made for.
Berlin
1 nomination
WGA
1 nomination
