Jasmin Dizdar's “BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE”

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This movie is filled with angry, argumentative, strange, cruel, and just plain mean characters. Ultimately, it is profoundly humane.

Most of its events take place in London, many in working class neighborhoods, bars, and apartment buildings that are populated by a swirling mass of legal and illegal immigrants who are trying to make their way in the world.

One story arc takes place in a hospital room. A Serb and Croat, hospitalized because of their fighting, continue to argue and hit each other as their roommate, a bandaged Welsh fire bomber, attempts to keep them apart.

In another story line, a young unemployed son of clueless middle class parents is accidentally swept away to a UN war zone where his secret proves a godsend for others. He is filmed in the act by a BBC cameraman who, upon returning to London, has been so traumatized by witnessing the horrors of war that he begs the authorities to amputate one of his legs.

Ultimately, this film is about how hard it can be to live together, yet it shows that even in an environment of hatred and cruelty, humanity can survive. So don't come to this movie expecting a touch-feely feel-good experience. Some of it is pretty raw and hard to watch. But do expect to witness some reality and positive experiences of a group of people who, as recent events show, are very much on the front lines of the continuing war to learn about living together.