An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker

A Roma family living far away from the urban centres of
Bosnia-
Herzegovina. The father Nazif salvages metal from old cars
and sells it to a scrap-dealer. The mother Senada keeps the house tidy,
cooks, bakes and cares for their two small daughters. One day, she feels
a sharp pain in her abdomen. At the clinic she is told there is something
wrong with the baby she is carrying: "They say it’s dead." She is at risk
of septicaemia and they must operate immediately. But Senada has no
medical insurance; since the operation will cost much more than the
family can afford the hospital’s head refuses to treat her. A race against
time and Senada’s mounting sense of hopelessness begins ...
Danis Tanović weaves these dramatic events, his protagonists’ economic
hardship and fear of death into a wintery tale. The fact that the
non-professional cast are re-enacting an episode from their own lives
contributes greatly to the film’s sense of authenticity and social realism.
At the same time, the film demonstrates one Roma family’s extraordinary
courage and unerring will to survive.