When The Day Had No Name review: A disconnected, stretched-out story that would be better suited as a snappy short .
When The Day Had No Name review by Dan Bullock at the 2017 Sydney Film Festival.
When The Day Had No Name is an unusual story that promises intrigue from its opening text about the discovery of four boys who’d been shot in the head, and discovered by a lake side in Easter 2012 but, in the same instance, exclaims this story isn’t about really about them.
Reportedly based on that real-life occurrence, director Teona Strugar Mitevska tries to tell a flashback tale about what these boys may have done on the day before they died. What we really get is a slow, stretched-out story about teenagers being teenagers, talking about sex, making stupid choices and a brief look at tensions between neighbouring countries.
There’s very little character development in the first half-hour beyond knowing that these lads are friends and they like to sit around in long, grey, drawn-out scenes of little positivity. We’re often lost in a world of testosterone and estranged families that depict disgruntled boys who have no respect for those around them, and because of these individual elements it’s difficult to connect to.
While undoubtedly gritty and human as it digs into the lives of people with seemingly little money or hope, they’re still alert enough to discover and explore each other, in various ways. It also unsubtly examines obvious strains been Macedonians and Albanians, as in some scenes we witness hatred for each other with the only explanation being that one doesn’t want the other in their country, like another extreme UKIP-type movement. These moments are possibly a reflection of those living with the fear stories that mainstream media like to pass down through the generations.
The most powerful scene is one where the boys visit a prostitute before they head off to their fishing trip. She’s only 16 and has been pimped out by someone they know. It’s rightfully disturbing as they take their moment individually with the girl but, very thankfully, the director keeps outside of the room until something goes wrong. These moments are where we really see a little more of each character, and the type of people are they.
Overall, as some films pick out interesting visuals that loiter with metaphor, When The Day Had No Name often just sits in a shot where, quite literally, nothing happens. This doesn’t really add any angle and for the first half hour, at least, it simply drags along without drama. Characters are introduced, people come and go, but we don’t really know who or the reasoning behind it all and you know you’ve got problems when the most entertaining part is someone farting in a lift.
Occasionally moments of tension are built, with a string-driven score that layers possible impending doom, but it mostly falls away and heads back to still-life shots. In truth, When The Day Had No Name would probably benefit from being a snappy, short film as it could still cover all the bases and achieve something a lot, lot more memorable.
When The Day Had No Name is showing at the Sydney Film Festival
