In the hills surrounding Sarajevo lies the village Ahatovici. In 1992 about 80 % of all the men were killed. The village was burnt to its foundations. Women and children were spared. The character of the village has changed forever. Good Husband, Dear Son is the story about the dead. Every one of them was special to their families and to the community where they worked, lived and loved.They were good husbands and dear sons: Sulejman, The master plasterer. Refik, the maker of indestructible window and door frames as well as a great lover. Samir and Armin, football players at the local football club. Muhamed, the professional hunter but a softie at heart. Sead who was so very fond of apples – and so many others.
Good Husband, Dear Son is the intimate and therefore dramatic story behind this forgotten genocide. The murdered men are brought back to life through the stories told by their wives, daughters and surviving sons and through a few remaining photographs and objects. It’s precisely by means of these details tat the film tries to tell a greater story. It is about the memories – beautiful, melancholic and sad ones – that cling to a watch that’s been recovered, an apple tree, a bricklaying tool or a T-Shirt. Bit by bit it’s these memories, that project on a hill in Bosnia the image of a disrupted community.