Quo Vadis, Aida?
A harrowing war drama that plunges into the desperate heart of a mother's terror. Amidst the deafening silence of international failure, Aida frantically races through a bureaucratic labyrinth, carrying the agonizing weight of humanity’s darkest blind spots.
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Quo Vadis, Aida?
26 February 2021 Austria 104 min ⭐ 7.6 (461)
Director: Jasmila Žbanić
Cast: Jasna Đuričić, Izudin Bajrović, Boris Ler, Dino Bajrović, Johan Heldenbergh
Drama War History
Bureaucratic Paralysis and Complicity Maternal Desperation and Survival The Banality of Evil Trauma, Memory, and Denial
Budget: $4,750,000
Box Office: $813,253

Quo Vadis, Aida? - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

What happens if the airstrikes do not come?

— The Mayor of Srebrenica

Context:

Spoken early in the film, as the Mayor desperately tries to get UN Commander Karremans to guarantee the town's safety against the encroaching Serbian army.

Meaning:

This poignant question highlights the deadly flaw in trusting empty international promises. It sharply foreshadows the absolute failure of the UN to protect the safe zone [1.4].

Don't shoot the piano player.

— Colonel Thom Karremans

Context:

Uttered by the Dutchbat commander as an attempt at levity before he toasts with Serbian General Ratko Mladić, effectively surrendering control of Srebrenica.

Meaning:

A grotesque display of cowardice and self-preservation, emphasizing how the Dutch commanders abandoned the thousands of people they were sworn to protect.

No one will hurt you!

— General Ratko Mladić

Context:

Spoken through a megaphone to the terrified Bosniak crowds and women on the buses to prevent panic before the men are separated and taken away to be executed.

Meaning:

A chilling, manipulative lie used to pacify victims. It demonstrates the calculated, theatrical nature of the genocide orchestrated by the Serbian forces.