As If I Am Not There

{{Infobox film

| name = As If I Am Not There

| image = AsIfIAmNotThere2010Poster.jpg

| caption = Irish film poster

| director = Juanita Wilson

| producer = James Flynn
Nathalie Lichtenthaeler
Karen Richards

| writer = Eliseo Altunaga

| based_on = {{Based on|As If I Am Not There|Slavenka Drakulić}}

| starring = Stellan Skarsgård
Nataša Petrović

| music = Kiril Dzajkovski

| cinematography = Tim Fleming

| editing = Nathan Nugent

| studio = Euroimages Fund of the Council of Europe
Film i Väst
Octagon Films
Screen Ireland
Sektor Film Skopje
W2 Filmproduktion und Vertriebs
WMG Film
Wide Eye Films

| distributor = Corinth Films

| released = {{Film date|2010|7|26|Bosnia|2011|3|4|Ireland|df=yes}}

| runtime = 109 minutes

| country = Ireland
Serbia

| language = Serbo-Croatian

}}

As If I Am Not There (Serbian: Као да ме нема, Kao da me nema) is a 2010 Irish-Serbian drama film directed by Juanita Wilson. The film is set in the Balkans and is shot in the Serbo-Croatian language.{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/irish-film-tv-academy-picks-238569|title=Irish Film & TV Academy Picks Juanita Wilson's 'As If I Am Not There' For Oscar Race |access-date=21 September 2011|work=Hollywood Reporter|first=Stuart|last=Kemp|date=21 September 2011}} It was selected as the Irish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15307590 |title=New Zealand submits Samoan film to Oscars |access-date=14 October 2011|work=BBC News|date=14 October 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2011/20111013.html |title=63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar |access-date=14 October 2011|work=oscars.org}} but did not make the final shortlist.{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2012/20120118.html|title=9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar|access-date=19 January 2012}}

The film follows a young teacher who travels to a remote village. After the village is attacked, she is imprisoned and raped, together with the women of village. It is based on Slavenka Drakulić's 1999 novel of the same name that deals with war rape in the Bosnian War.{{cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/as-if-i-am-not-there/5018175.article|title=As If I Am Not There|date=13 September 2010|work=screendaily.com|access-date=5 October 2011}}

==Plot==

Set during the Bosnian War, the movie follows the experiences of a young female teacher from Sarajevo who travels to a remote village to teach. Soon after arriving, the village is attacked by a group of soldiers. The men are killed, the women separated from the children, and placed in a makeshift brothel. There, the women are repeatedly raped and beaten.

The film is adapted from a novel by Croatian journalist Slavenka Drakulic based on testimony of women taken prisoner during the Bosnian War.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 85% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10.{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/as_if_i_am_not_there_2011|title=As If I Am Not There (2010)|date=26 July 2010|publisher=|access-date=2 December 2020}}