FUSE (GORI VATRA) European Showcase

Landmines still explode and the black market thrives in a rural village in Bosnia. War may be over, but the hard-fought struggle for existence continues until a ray of hope arrives-US President Clinton plans to visit.

The mayor announces that if the town can pass UN inspection, economic good times may be ahead. But the chief of police must temporarily shut down the black market he’s been running with a local gangster, and the fire department must integrate by adding neighboring Serbs with whom they fought fiercely for years. As the citizens scramble to clean things up, a father’s anguish for his lost son may derail all the careful planning.

FUSE is laced with bittersweet comedy and poignant memories, questioning whether the end of warfare can ever bring real peace. Debut director Pjer Zalica takes a slightly softer-though no less genuine-approach to issues that continue to plague southeastern Europe.