Northern Skirts

In 1995, as the conflict in Bosnia rages out of control, two teenage women in a Central European community try to help each other make the best of a difficult situation. Jasmin (Nina Proll) was born in Austria, works in a pastry shop, and tries to drown the unhappiness of her life at home by sleeping around, though she has a steady date, a Romanian named Valentin (Tudor Chirila who dreams of emigrating to America. Tamara (Edita Malovcic) is Serbian, has a job as a nurse, and misses her family, who are stuck in Sarajevo. For solace, Tamara turns to her boyfriend, Roman (Michael Tanczos), though as a member of the military he's gone more often than he's home. Jasmine and Tamara were friends in childhood, but they have not seen each other in years when each becomes pregnant; they visit the same abortion clinic and catch up on old times, offering each other emotional support while struggling through a difficult time. This first feature from director Barbara Albert received positive reviews in its screening at the 1999 Venice Film Festival.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide