The movie opens in a dense fog with a small bunch of Bosnian soldiers making their way to the front lines. They get lost and when the mists clear, they find themselves directly in front of the Serbian lines. One survivor, Chiki (Branko Djuric), ends up in a trench in between the two front lines, temporarily safe from attack by the enemy, but unable to return to his own side. Soon after, two Serbs stealthly make their way to the trench to ensure that the 'attack' by the small company wasn't a prelude to an offensive. Chiki eliminates one, but ends up in a standoff with the other, Nino (Rene Bitorajac). They endure an uneasy truce until they discover a third person, Cera (Filip Sovagovic), whose situtation represents a danger to all three survivors. And, when a United Nations force with an accompanying media caravan arrives, the situtation becomes less, not more, stable.
No Man's Land is comprised of two elements. The three-character sequences in the trench, which reveal less about the individuals trapped there and more about the deep set hatreds for one another. This is the Serb/Bosnian conflict in microcosm, and is as compelling as it is difficult to watch. These characters bond, but not in way we expect them to. The other aspect of the film is a broad condemnation of the United Nations "aid" - how politics and ego cause well-intentioned efforts to decay into incompentence. The media plays a prime role - manipulating the military into fearing most of all a public relations nightmare. At the same time the military is trying to manipulate what the cameras see to serve their own ends.
No Man's Land is an eloquent, anti-war testimonial. It paints a bleak picture of how there is no simple answer to deeply-rooted hatred - a message the United Nations should consider every time they send out the "Smurfs". No Man's Land plays cleverly on our expectations from previous war films about how this scenario should play out. This is a film with no heroes, only victims. Those on a quest for a film with grit and substance will appreciate No Man's Land.