ARMIN  (2006 Croatia)

Film starring a 13 year old boy as the title character.


Review:

It is an important day for Ibro, 45, and his son Armin, 13.
They are traveling from their little town in Bosnia to Zagreb, capital of Croatia.
Ibro is taking Armin on audition for a film about war in Bosnia, produced by a German film company.
Ibro wants to tell everybody on the bus about that trip. Armin feels embarrassed, asking his father to stop acting like a peasant, but Ibro is simply too exited. It's important to him that this journey ends with success.
When the bus breaks down they are afraid to miss the appointment, but finally manage to hitch a ride to Zagreb. Armin is fascinated with big city.
They make it to the hotel where audition is held, but too late. Ibro is not giving up. He begs assistant to give a chance to his son. Assistant agrees to give them a second chance tomorrow. In the hotel room Ibro is helping Armin to practice the role.
When Armin is asleep, Ibro sneaks to a hotel-bar for a drink. When he gets back he finds his boy on the floor. Armin is having some kind of epileptic attack. He is afraid to be alone in the room. That trauma is a consequence of the war.
The next morning Armin is presented to the German director who considers him too old for the part. Everything seems over before it even started. But Ibro is not giving up. He persuades Armin to play something on the accordion.
Armin is finally in front of the camera. Everybody is looking at him. He is very nervous. Armin starts to panic. He is having another attack. The audition is over. They are on their way back home. Armin is very angry on his father because he was giving big promises, and now all hope is gone.
Ibro refuses to accept that. He goes back to the hotel and confronts the director. He ends up hitting the man and is taken away by the police. It's already getting dark. Armin is sitting alone in the park, and still no sign of Ibro. Scared and confused he makes his way trough the city in search of his father. In the moment when Armin feels totally abandoned, crying alone, his father appears ashamed for having been such a fool. Armin finds he can forgive and accept his father.
Together they get on the way back to Bosnia.