Welcome to Sarajevo fuses documentary and fiction into an urgent, honest drama that, in an effort to create realism, makes itself impersonal and cold. Michael Winterbottom confronts Sarajevo directly, shooting on location in its unforgettable war-torn landscape. Handheld cameras, uninterrupted takes, and natural lighting produce an artless documentary feel; each moment is quick and spontaneous, as if shot on the fly. The narrative is intermingled with actual footage and news coverage of the Bosnian war, grounding it in history. The film is forthright, immediate, and convincing. However, with all its focus on urgency and verisimilitude, Welcome to Sarajevo forgets it is a story about people. Its human relationships are brushed over and its characters go unexplored. The strength and personality of Woody Harrelson's Flynn barely overcome the film's frenetic pace. Actors Emira Nusevic, herself a child of the war, and Goran Visnjic, a former paratrooper in the Croatian army, are under-utilized to the point where one fears that they serve as realistic window dressing. Visnjic, who plays an educated young man forced to become a driver, is one of Croatia's biggest performers. The few conversation scenes between the driver and his friends have a subtle desperation that is remarkable -- they are the audience's only chance to make a satisfying human connection in what would otherwise be an effective film.