Godard's 2004 Film Our Music Explores Balkan Reconstruction and Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Through Poetic Tableaux

Jean-Luc Godard’s 2004 film, Our Music (Notre musique), unfolds in three segments—Hell, Purgatory, Heaven—set against the backdrop of postwar Sarajevo and Mostar. At the European Literary Encounters conference in Sarajevo, the narrative features Judith Lerner, a Jewish journalist played by Sarah Adler, who pursues reconciliation through interviews, including one with Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. In his discussion, Darwish reflects on the significance of poetry for the marginalized. Additionally, the character Olga Brodsky, portrayed by Nade Dieu, performs a symbolic suicide bombing in Jerusalem. The film tackles reconciliation themes, highlighted by the reconstruction of the National and University Library and the Old Bridge, while Godard critiques ideologies and examines identity and art's healing potential.