▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁P ula ▁Film ▁Festival . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁crit ically ▁pra ised ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁commercial ▁success , ▁gross ing ▁$ 4 1 . 4 ▁million ▁world wide ▁against ▁a ▁production ▁budget ▁of ▁$ 5 ▁million . ▁ ▁Plot ▁ ▁The ▁story ▁begins ▁in ▁the ▁woods ▁in ▁Bos nia ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 3 , ▁when ▁a ▁woman ▁gives ▁birth ▁to ▁a ▁baby ▁boy . ▁Then , ▁the ▁story ▁j umps ▁to ▁ 2 0 0 7 . ▁The ▁boy , ▁Al en ▁( T ony ▁Gr ga ), ▁now ▁th ir teen , ▁lives ▁in ▁a ▁children ' s ▁home ▁in ▁Sar aje vo . ▁ ▁The ▁former ▁director ▁of ▁the ▁home , ▁G ago ▁( Met o ▁J ovan ov ski ), ▁had ▁told ▁Al en ▁that ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁French ▁and ▁his ▁father ▁was ▁English , ▁and ▁that ▁they ▁met ▁as ▁war ▁rep or ters ▁in ▁Sar aje vo , ▁but ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁war ▁and ▁professional ▁oblig ations ▁they ▁had ▁tempor arily ▁left ▁him ▁in ▁the ▁home . ▁Al en ▁writes ▁letters ▁to ▁his ▁mother ▁and ▁gives ▁them ▁to ▁educ ator ▁C ica ▁( M ira ▁F url an ), ▁to ▁be ▁sent ▁to ▁his ▁mother ▁in ▁France . ▁However , ▁C ica ▁places ▁all ▁the ▁letters ▁of ▁children ▁in ▁a ▁dra wer , ▁because ▁in ▁reality ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁one ▁to ▁send ▁them ▁to . ▁A ▁new ▁director , ▁Mir za ▁( M irs ad ▁Tu ka ), ▁who ▁is ▁a ▁young