Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo

It is the spring of 1993. Amidst a brutal Balkan war pitting Christian against Muslim, a young couple lie dead in each other's arms on a bridge in Sarajevo, Bosnia, shot by sniper fire while trying to escape in the beleaguered city. She is Admira Ismic, a 25-year-old Muslim and he is a 24-year-old Serb named Bosko Brckic. The international media dubs them "Romeo and Juliet," depicting them in death as a 20th-century version of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo is their story, full of surprising twists and turns as it explores the history of this tormented region through the lives of an ordinary couple caught up in a deadly struggle. As the military conflict escalates, Bosko and Admira's families come to each other's aid in their hour of need, as do old friends, proving that loyalty is more resilient than the divisions imposed by religion or politics. Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo illuminates not only the great tragedy of war but also the ultimate and enduring power of love.