The trial of Slobodan Milosevic was organised through a specially-created UN tribunal, located in The Hague, Holland, as an effort to show that it was possible to hold a powerful man accountable for what were considered to be his crimes during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.
But the trial took an unusual direction. Milosevic insisted on defending himself, and used the court proceedings to conduct an epic filibuster. He knew that at best he was bound to spend the rest of his life in prison. Why not turn his courtroom appearances into an indication of his position? He made speeches about how great he had been, and how the atrocities in the Balkans had not been his responsibility.
These two remarkable films are based on over 1,000 hours of courtroom proceedings. They depict a remarkable duel. On one side Slobodan Milosevic - nationalist, communist politician, thug; on the other side suave British QC Geoffrey Nice. A merit of the films is that they explain what goes on in courtrooms by going behind the scenes. We see Milosevic's lawyers, some of them based in Belgrade; we also see Nice's conferences and we are introduced to the curious amici curiae - defence lawyers appointed by the court to act in Milosevic's absence during his illnesses. In fact it is Nice who benefits from Milosevic's own mistakes - he is now able to build up a case against the ex-dictator.
By the end of the narrative it is apparent that Milosevic has nowhere to go: the best thing to do for him is to die before judgement can be passed...and that is exactly what he does.
The films offer a bleak commentary on the prospects of international justice. No court proceedings, no matter how lavishly funded, can be proofed against the time-wasting techniques employed so adroitly by Milosevic.
