Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2013

Love, war, birth, death, motherhood, sensuality, horror, drama. It’s a lot to pack in to one movie. An Italian woman (a fabulous Penelope Cruz) returns to Sarajevo for a photo exhibition by her deceased former lover (Emile Hirsch). She flashes back to a time when she was diagnosed as infertile, and the two stayed in Sarajevo despite the approaching war to try in vitro fertilization, and, failing that, seeking a surrogate mother. Since she’s accompanied by her teenage son, she was clearly successful in this, but I absolutely did not see the final, devastatingly effective twist coming. Japanese title: Aru Ai he to Suzuku Tabi. (127 min)