KISS THE FUTURE
USA, Ireland / 2023 / 103’
Director: Nenad Cicin-Sain
Producer: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sarah Anthony, Ned O'Hanlon
Runtime: 1h 43m
A film about the dangers of nationalism and about art as a means of intervention: "Kiss the Future" tells the story of the continued life and work of a creative underground community in the besieged Sarajevo of the 1990s. Yugoslavia is falling apart, Sarajevo is under siege, and war rages in Bosnia. The blockade lasts for years. Life becomes an act of defiance, and rock and punk music become a source of inspiration, diverting attention from the daily nightmare of Serbian shells and snipers.
An American providing humanitarian aid in Sarajevo is inspired by the local resistance to a seemingly unconventional idea: he asks the world-famous rock band U2 to bring attention to the devastating war. The band agrees. After concluding the series of interviews, the band promises to perform in Sarajevo after the war ends. "Kiss the Future" narrates the story of this promise, which U2 fulfills with a concert before 45,000 local fans in the liberated city. The concert becomes a festive memory in Sarajevo's collective consciousness – a testament that its residents not only survived the blockade but emerged stronger, demonstrating that music and art can be acts of rebellion.
Kiss the Future is a portrait of a city and a people who used culture to fight back; it’s also the story of a rock ‘n’ roll band exploring the limits of how its music can impact the real world. Above all else, though, it’s a rich and moving chronicle of the use of art as both a weapon and a means to salvation.
Steve Pond, TheWrap