Fraulein is a tale of three displaced and quietly sorrowful women. Their age difference means little – each has been ripped away from their homelands. Ana, the youngest of the trio, sadly declares, “No one calls it Yugoslavia anymore.” Despite her youth Ana has the most to teach the women and makes a deep impression on Ruza.

Ana springs into the lives of two older women running their own canteen. The eldest, Mila, has a rigid exterior but perhaps the shortest journey of them all. Ruza, cold and detached, refuses to let emotion or frivolity into her life. Closed off from the world around her, Switzerland is her “home” but not her heart. Ana’s influence and carefree nature allows Ruza to slowly shed her past and realize the life she has left to live. Ana’s demeanor is frank and impersonal towards strangers. When dancing in a club she tells a prospective date her brother killed himself after the war – deliberately pushing anyone and everything away – except Ruza.

Although we have seen this plot in countless American films, never before have we seen such a bleak and simultaneously uplifting film. Andrea Staka respects her women characters and refuses to indulge in easy clichés and overripe material. As Ana’s life slowly fades she fills the other two with hope and a sense of home. Ana’s not a egotistical mission – she isn’t a character solely created to give others a purpose. However, her presence allows the dense regret and sorrow to slip away. The past will continue to haunt each of them but a quiet sense of peace spills over the stark gray colors of Switzerland. Fraulein is a film not to be missed. The lessons are universal. - Elisabeth Hegmann.

SCREENS WITH:

BUILDING BRIDGES
Jeanine Isabel Butler, U.S. / Bosnia-Herzegovina, 14 minutes

In an effort to reunite a fractured community, an exceptional group of women join together to create the Mostar Women’s Citizen Initiative of
Bosnia in this extraordinary documentary about setting aside differences to heal wounds wrought by tragedy. Narrated by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

THE WAY WE PLAYED
Samir Mehanovic, Scotland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 14 minutes

On the eve of war in Bosnia, two boys go looking for treasure. Oblivious to the encroaching danger, what they discover changes their lives forever.