Sympathy for the Devil

_Sympathy for the Devil_ is the true story of French war correspondent Paul Marchand who lived in Sarajevo while covering its siege in 1992. It's very difficult to make a film about this courageous journalist (who committed suicide in 2009) without deifying him: the proof is this film couldn't avoid it. Still, filmed in Sarajevo, the cinematography of _Sympathy for the Devil_ is so concrete it hits you in the face like rain drops when you're riding at top speed with no helmet, and the pace of the story is the same. The film is a realistic rendering of the political and physical battles in Yugoslavia, and a fitting (if glorified) tribute to a man who deserves to be glorified. #recommend (Credit is due Niels Schneider's impassioned portrayal in the lead role, but I would also like to mention Ella Rumpf's standout performance. She follows up her excellent work in _Grave_ with a part on the opposite end of the spectrum (war interpreter) and is so believable in both roles that I didn't recognize her as the same actress.)