Summaries

In London, during October 1993, England is playing Holland in the preliminaries of the World Cup. The Bosnian War is at its height, and refugees from the ex-Yugoslavia are arriving. Football rivals, and political adversaries from the Balkans all precipitate conflict and amusing situations. Meanwhile, the lives of four English families are affected in different ways by encounter with the refugees; one of the families improbably becomes involved with a Balkan refugee through the England vs. Holland match.—Guy33134

The time is 1993 when the Bosnian War is taking place, and the place is Britain. Through interweaving stories, the lives of some native Britons and Bosnian refugees settled in Britain intersect, or are directly influenced by what is happening back in Bosnia. Nurse in training, Portia Thornton, falls in love with one of her patients, Bosnian Pero Guzina, much to the chagrin of her upper crust family who just don't understand this foreigner. Dr. Mouldy, a maternity ward doctor, takes a special interest in the upcoming birth to a Bosnian couple who, for reasons from the war, don't want their baby-to-be. The doctor's interest is in part due to his own crumbling family life. BBC war correspondent Jerry Higgins is injured from his time covering the war and as a result is permanently physically disabled. He ends up having an unusual wish for himself and will go to extreme lengths to achieve it. Troubled and drug addicted youth, Griffin Midge, has a life altering experience when he unexpectedly gets to see the effects of the war up close and personal. And a feud erupts between an ethnic Serb and an ethnic Croat who by circumstance are forced to spend much time together.—Huggo

Details

Genres
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • War
Release date Sep 16, 1999
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) R
Countries of origin United Kingdom
Language English
Filming locations London, England, UK
Production companies British Film Institute (BFI) Arts Council of England British Screen Productions

Box office

Gross US & Canada $264292
Opening weekend US & Canada $13987
Gross worldwide $264292

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 47m
Color Color
Sound mix Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

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