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The Whistleblower
As Angelina’s Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” about the Bosnian War, struggles to find an audience, another film on similar themes, this one based on a true story, is hitting video shelves, and it deserves a viewing. “The Whistleblower” is the story of midwest cop Kathryn Bolkovac, a divorced mom who takes an overseas job with a civilian peacekeeping force sponsored by the United States and the U.N. What she finds is a shocking level of corruption among the ranks of her co-workers and superiors, exploiting the very people they are there to protect. Many Americans have a vague notion of where Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia are. The tiny nations came about following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Bolkovac finds herself in war-torn Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), unsure of her role, but still in full control of her cop instincts. When she investigates a shady nightclub with bruised teens for waitresses, she uncovers a human trafficking ring filled with girls being bought and sold for sex. She is appalled to find one of her fellow peacekeepers involved. One soon leads to two, three, more, and even state officials whose tacit acknowledgement of the sex traffickers will have you shaking your fists at the screen, especially when they spit the words “diplomatic immunity” back in Bolkovac’s face. Director Larysa Kondracki keeps the narrative focused on Bolkovac’s POV, played with quiet determination by Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz. Weisz’s involvement with the film reportedly helped get it out of development hell, allowing an important story to be told. The cast also includes noted thespians Vanessa Redgrave and David Strathairn as two of the few “good guys” Bolkovac finds in Sarajevo. They help her in her efforts to expose the criminal activity to the press back home--and though Bolkovac succeeds in getting the creeps booted out of Sarajevo, do you think any of them went on to serve jail time? Right. The movie ends with a postscript, noting how the level of human trafficking shot up following the Bosnian War, and that an estimated 2.5 million people are enslaved today. “The Whistleblower” offers a frightening glimpse into that world. “THE WHISTLEBLOWER” ON BLU-RAY The disc offers but one special feature, a five-minute featurette of interviews with Weisz and the real-life Kathryn Bolkovac. The subject nature of the film cries out for links to human rights organizations that are trying to make a difference, but none are included on the disc. Here are a few to get you started: Amnesty International 1/23/12
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