`SARAVEJO' STIRS IMPULSE TO CARE.

Byline: Rob Lowman Daily News Entertainment Editor

Some films transcend their relative merits as works of art or entertainment. ``Welcome to Sarajevo,'' which takes us into horrors of the recent war in Bosnia, is one such film.

``Sarajevo'' is loosely based on the experiences of British journalist Michael Nicholson, whose book ``Natasha's Story'' chronicles his attempt to get a young girl out of the country. As a war correspondent, the Nicholson character - called Henderson and played by Stephen Dillane - knows that his job is just to report the news, not become part of it. But faced with daily atrocities, Henderson's cool facade begins to crack, and without intending to, he finds himself involved.

The film begins in a beauty salon in Sarajevo in 1992 when a group of women joyfully prepare for a wedding as the sound of distant gunfire can be heard. Suddenly the power goes out, plunging the place into darkness. The apparent matriarch of the family gets it back on when she restarts the generator to cheers of the rest of the group. It is a reminder that they are making do, trying for a moment of normalcy amid the chaos. It's also a reminder that only a few years before, Sarajevo had been a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that had peacefully hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics to much acclaim. But after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, the former Yugoslavia splintered apart in violent ethnic conflicts. Like all civilized societies, it was not prepared for the brutality of war.

The wedding party then gaily takes to the street in a processional, determined to celebrate despite the dangers. But sniper fire soon rings out, and the matriarch is gunned down. Most of the group flees for cover. Some linger, stunned, not knowing what to do. Journalists have quickly descended on the scene, and one of the them, Flynn (played by Woody Harrelson), carries the woman to shelter as his colleagues scream that he's crazy. Meanwhile, Henderson and his photographer watch horrified as an altar boy runs for cover from another sniper. Henderson chases after him but is unable to catch up to him before being driven back by gunfire.

Henderson never learns the altar boy's fate, and the image of the running boy haunts him. This and Flynn's action leaves the journalist wondering if his role is to be more than an observer. Dillane is superb in giving Henderson an undercurrent of nervous intensity that allows us to see his moral dilemma without overplaying it.

``Welcome to Sarajevo'' mixes newsreel footage, documentary techniques and traditional cinema styles to show the horrors of the siege. Many scenes are grainy and underlit, bringing a documentary feel to much of it. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film re-enacts an infamous marketplace massacre. Many of the bit players are local citizens who had endured the real thing.

In scene after scene, the film throws shock after shock at us - firing squads, death camps, a parade of random sniper deaths. Amid all this, the citizens of Sarajevo play their favorite game: Is There a God? Or they engage in gallows humor. One of the film's running jokes is that the United Nations won't intervene because Sarajevo is only the 14th most deadly place on earth. ``I won't leave until we're No. 1,'' says one local.

But all this also points out one of the problems of film. As atrocity after atrocity is shown, there is a mind-numbing effect. This is the same irony that confronts Henderson. As he sends a stream of horrifying reports back to Britain, he finds the public - as well as the majority of leaders in the Western world - have become less interested. One day, he's disconcerted to find that the lead story that night will not be his piece on the plight of war orphans but rather the divorce of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

It becomes one more factor that makes him decide to save a young girl's life. It is this part of the story that holds the film together, that gives it a real touchstone as the war becomes increasingly incomprehensible.

``Welcome to Sarajevo'' has an outstanding cast, including Harrelson and Emily Lloyd as correspondents, Marisa Tomei as a committed children's aide worker, Kerry Fox as a smart and humane TV producer, Goran Visnjic as the resourceful local driver with the heart of a poet and Emira Nusevic as the young girl.

One of the questions raised in ``Welcome to Sarajevo'' is: How can something as tragic as the war in Bosnia be covered by the electronic media so that it becomes ``real'' to the public and not some sound bite? It's somewhat ironic that the film's mixture of documentary-style, hand-held video and use of pop songs like ``Don't Worry, Be Happy'' somewhat undercut its intentions.

But don't let its flaws put you off from seeing this film. ``Welcome to Sarajevo'' is impact cinema, and sometimes you just have to, like Henderson, put yourself out there.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Welcome to Sarajevo'' (R; brutal images/war atrocities and language)/

The stars: Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Kerry Fox, Emily Lloyd, Goran Visnjic and Emira Nusevic.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, based on ``Natasha's Story'' by Michael Nicholson. Produced by Graham Broadbent and Damian Jones. Released by Miramax.

Running time: One hour, 40 minutes.

Playing: Laemmle's Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Laemmle's Monica, Santa Monica.

Our rating: Three Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Stephen Dillane and Woody Harrelson play a pair of journalists covering the civil war in ``Welcome to Sarajevo.''