The Waiting Room

Sarajevo-born actor Jasmin (Jasmin Geljo) lives in Toronto with his wife, Patricia (Ma-Anne Dionisio), and his ten-year-old son, Daniel (Filip Geljo). Though he was a respected actor in pre-war Yugoslavia, here in Canada Jasmin is consistently typecast. He makes a modest living as a construction worker while constantly auditioning (more often than not, for the roles of criminals), and periodically performs the culturally specific Bosnian comedy skits that have made him somewhat popular amongst Toronto's Yugoslav community. But Jasmin is going through a difficult time with Patricia and his disillusioned teenage daughter, Sonja (Masa Lizdek), and he feels less and less able to communicate or engage meaningfully with society and family alike. When he is offered a part in an art installation about a family's vacation trip during the Bosnian War, the role triggers his own wartime memories and leads him to unsettling questions about what lies ahead. (Toronto International Film Festival)