Days and Hours (2004) User Reviews (7)

at uncle Idriza's

[gospodinBezkrai · 7/10 · 2 February 2011]

The native title of the film translates as "At uncle Idriza's". Imagine visiting your old grandparents in their village house, do not expect more than that, certainly nothing spectacular. However once you accept this fact, the film is very nice! The director's accuracy in portraying the typical is stunning! Every single detail of the people's habits, that I know by actually meeting people like the characters in the film, is there. I was quite fascinated to discover how much the same we are across families and even across countries, down to the smallest jests! This neighbourhood and these granddad and grandma could be in the outskirts of Sarajevo, could be elsewhere in former Yugoslavia, or could be in my country, Bulgaria...

There is something that sets this Sarajevo apart though - the tragic and irretrievable loss of a son seven years ago.

The war is invisible to us but thinly feels through, being part of the past of everyone there. Indeed, it is maybe the main point of the film to show us that a troubled society will naturally return back to a completely usual and inconspicuous life, yet the pain will never fully disappear within those generations.

I would think the film might be too literally close to everyday life to be exciting for its native audience (as not a native to language, I could have missed slight hyperbolisation and humour?). It would be mostly appealing to those who have left their countries in the region, as a nostalgic memory of home, and for those foreigners with genuine interest in studying Balkan life. One day when the capitalist society, God forbid, has been completely established here and the family/kin/neighbourhood relations had fully disintegrated, the film will be also of great documentary value.

cultural emotional older

[NijazBaBs · 8/10 · 24 February 2021]

I am only gonna say what is good and what is bad. Good is presence of Bosnian culture, superstitions, environment, and reality. Meaning, it shows what it really is like in Bosnia. All I can relate to my real life in Bosnia. Especially with older generation. It is emotional, magical, deep, but simple. Bad is that unfortunately things are changing, so this movie is becoming less and less interesting because culture is changing, and becoming less relevant for future generations. Only older people will like this movie. And bad is lack of some real deeper action such as war, mystery, crime. Meaning, too subjective, personal, social. This would deserve at least 1 star better rating 10 years ago as it was more relevant then. Bit worse than Perfect Circle movie, because not as deep as warn and talk dominates. Bit funny and I could recognize specific food, habits, talk from real life from same places.

Great movie!

[jbosnjakovic · 10/10 · 18 November 2004]

I saw this movie two weeks ago and was very impressed. I believe that, no matter how great translation English speaking viewers get, they will still be lacking the profound message the movie sends. It certainly caught every single detail of a Bosnian house and family along with relationship between husband and wife, love for grandchildren and inevitable involvement of neighbors into everybody's life. Even though it certainly contains comic elements, it also brought tears to my eyes several times. 'Amidza' and 'amidzinca' reminded me of my late grandparents and all the attention I was getting in their house. All credits to Sasa Losic for music and soundtrack. Well done!

Tragedy outlined with a little but of fun and hope

[willemswildewereld · 10/10 · 13 November 2005]

How many times did you see a movie made in a scenery of a land, torn apart by a war, in a city where not even one building has traces of that war. "Kod amidze Idriza" (for English speaking people: "Days and Hours" is such a movie.

The movie starts with Fuke, a guy who visits his uncle Idriz and Aunt Sabira, to fix a broken boiler. He soon finds out there's a lot more that needs to be repaired. Idriz and Sabira aren't ready to accept the loss of their only son in the Balkan war, seven years earlier. When Fuke's car doesn't want to start Fuke has to stay in their house to stay over. He meets a lot of old friends and neighbours.

It's so good to see a movie that really shows the effects of a war without even mentioning the war. The neighbours are a weird bunch of people, there a woman who seems to have borrowed a whole lot of plates from Sabira, there's the son of that woman who is boxing against a boxing ball and running around all the time. Real people who could live anywhere besides this little village in the hills near Serajevo. It's not a movie about heroes but a movie about sad people who want to live a normal life, said the giant director Pjer Zalica when I spoke with him at the Northern Dutch Movie festival. A real treat when you wanna see something else than a Hollywood movie !!!

If I said ...

[salispahic · 10/10 · 18 December 2009]

How to describe this movie without writing "it is a wonderful movie" million times is a heavy task. Namik Kabil, one of more active screenwriters in the Balkan wrote a fantastic screenplay about a normal life in a shadow of a lingering death, which was converted into the fantastic movie by promising director Pjer Zalica and a fantastic crew of actors and tech. IndieWIRE had it right when they said this was one of the best 15 undistributed movies in the 2004. In my opinion it was the best movie in 2004, much better than LOTR:Return of the King, who cleaned up Oscars for that year, and far, far better than Les Invasions Barbares, which won the best foreign film Oscar.

If I said this film is about Fuke (Senad Basic) visiting his elderly uncle and aunt Idriz (Mustafa Nadarevic) and Sabira (Semka Sokolovic Bertok), to fix their broken water-heater, you would think this must be the most boring movie ever, but it is far from it. It is as dreamy as early Italian new wave, but with the fragrance of Iranian films all brought together in this fantastic movie about feelings, and not action. The movie will make you think about the feelings projected without a word said. This is not sex-filled-bomb-blasted-car-chasing kind of film. This is a film about the rhythm of the life. It allows you to float into the steady current of their quiet lives and be touched by the love they have for each other. Wonderful movie, one of the best I have seen in my life.

Perfect

[alma_halliwell · 10/10 · 21 May 2018]

I watched it more than 3 times and every time I find another little detail that is so amazingly interwoven in this story. It may look like another story about the war but I actually liked it since it captures the essence of relationships within family and with neighbors.

Although some of the characters are stereotypical but they still didn't cease to exist in reality such as for instance the one played by the legendary Nada Djurevska. We all have one of those neighbors who just cannot resist knowing everything and sticking their nose in where is not wanted.

Also the character of aunt and her way of cleaning to avoid contemplating the life and losing her son are so realistic. One of the best actors Mustafa Nadarevic in the region brought the character of uncle Idriz to life in an outstanding way and it was not surprising. Many little arguments between aunt and uncle made me nostalgic and laugh at the same time since they depict the nature of old generation marriages. She reminded me of my late grandmother.

I recommend this movie to anybody who would like to understand the part of Bosnian culture but also the dynamics within one family and neighborhood (in Bosnian 'mahala').

This is not critic nor review,this is praising best Bosnian film

[hariscausevic94 · 10/10 · 2 April 2017]

New generations in Bosnia will not understand this film,because most of them will have grandparents living in homes for the elderly,not in houses(this is just a prediction but it will probably happen at some point).I don't think that future grandparents will not be able to take care of themselves,I am just pointing out to the raising trend in whole world.However,everybody who had grandparents living in the houses(regular houses-not the mansions on Miami Beach)can relate to some of these things:your grandma was expert at cooking,grandpa had million interesting useless things in his basement,your grandma taught you prayers,your grandpa was an expert at domino's or chess but would always let you win,grandma didn't let your parents to yell at you,grandpa didn't let your parents to yell at you,grandma was humble and proud at the same time,grandpa was humble and proud at the same time,grandma was legend,grandpa was legend.At the other side,if your grandparents are from elderly home you probably had grandparents playing bingo on Sundays(just kidding,no offense to anyone).

"Days and hoours" is the film which gives you an enter in traditional Bosnian house where old couple,Idriz and Sabira,live.Their nephew Fuad/Fuke visits them to repair their broken boiler.Fuke finds out that Idriz is mad at his dead sons(Emir) wife(Sejla),with whom Emir has 10yo daughter,because Sejla wants to remarry and now they don't talk anymore.So,Fuke is going to try to reunite them.

In American films about old people who live on their own(Nebraska,straight story,gran torino etc.) we usually watch grumpy grandpas that fought in Korea,Germany or Vietnam,trying to give a purpose to rest of their lives.You have entire generation of that type of grandpas in America.In Bosnia,there is a post-war generation of old people(many of them lost children in the war)to whom time stopped after they lost their children(I think that is a reason why English translation of film is "Days and hours"),they can not accept it,they can not move on.So,I like to say that "Kod amidze Idriza" is "Straight story" in Bosnian style.

Idriz and Sabira are classic(there is no better word to describe)old couple Bosnia.They have been through a lot,good and bad.When Bosnian is watching them talking he/she has a feeling like he/she is watching his/her own grandparents,so they are easily likable characters(under condition that you loved your grandparents-but who didn't).As I said,they can not get over their only sons death,they left his room untouched with all Emirs clothes and stuff in it like Emir is still alive(not to be confused,they know that Emir is dead,but they want to have everything that reminds of him,unlike "Fuse"-also Zalicas film where war veteran Zaim actually thinks that his dead son Adnan is alive).Later in the movie they will rearrange Emirs room for their granddaughter.

Fuad/Fuke,bad-luck,honest and naive,bachelor in his late 30s,little bit lost in time,nostalgic about before war times when everything was better(it was actually better-not a cliché).He belongs to "Bosnian X-generation"(born in 60s an 70s) to whom war ruined youth.While sleeping over at uncle and aunts,he senses their pain,sorrow and emptiness in the house because of Emirs death.In my opinion,Fuke is the best character in film,and I will not describe him anymore,you must see him to realize who is actually Fuke.

I will not miss opportunity to mention other characters that perfectly fit in story and bring closer picture of old Bosnian neighbourhood:Ekrem,Fukes best childhood friend and man who knows everything that happens in neighbourhood;Bubana,his unfaithfull wife;Begzada,old women boring everyone to buy her eggs;Muhamed,her son obsessed with physical training etc.All of them are smaller roles but they give to film the unique charm.

However,if you are not into watching elders silently suffering and reuniting,this film has amazing humour at some parts which makes this story even more bittersweet.Side by side with "Do you remember Dolly Bell" it is most quotable movie made in Bosnia.Their conversations are so realistic that you would find yourself thinking:"That's something what would my grandma/grandpa/father/mother/friend say". Basically,movie will make you respect traditional values more,also you would be proud to be Bosnian(if you are one)because you would probably be like:"Movies like this can be made only in Bosnia,to the hell with Hollywood".By the way,film gets better every next time you watch it which is characteristic for all great films.

While I am writing the last paragraph I realize that my divorced parents will not spend their last days together like Idriz and Sabira.They will probably go to home for elders when they retire.My child(if I ever have one) will never understand this film.