Institute History
Description
The year is 1995, and a war-torn Bosnian countryside is crowded with soldiers, murderers, thieves, and orphans. Choices between right and wrong are no longer clear, and an incorrect decision could cost your life. Such is the setting for Polish director Tomasz Wisniewski's debut feature film Where Eskimos Live, a moving tale chronicling the challenge of remaining human during the absurdity of war.
Bob Hoskins plays Sharkey, a gruff and suspicious opportunist supposedly rescuing children for UNICEF. Claming he can take only one child out of the country, he chooses to bring Vlado, a tough and Wily 10-year-old who is determined no to lose his identity or pride, his only protection against the horrors of war. The two stubborn, unlikely partners struggle to escape the labyrinth of a country that was once Vlado's home, realizing in an unexpected resolution that self-sacrifice in the name of friendship can bring far greater rewards than self-interest in the name of profit. On their harrowing journey, they discover the cruelty of selfishness, the unpredictability of human nature, and the ultimate redemption : love.
The film constructs an unsettling world of the vengeful and wary, each shell shocked character walking a fine line between mercy and wickedness. Amidst all this bleakness shines Valdo's youthful longing to see Norway: a cleansing, idyllic land where Eskimos live. With an intense performance by Bob Hoskins and a touching, intricately crafted relationship between Sharkey and Vlado, Where Eskimos Live throws us onto the road out of hell and proves that the terrifying path, unfortunately, is not always marked.