The people in The Stone Speakers don’t give one their names. But they proudly say the Bosnian towns and cities where they live. This documentary shows four towns that have a silent entrepreneurship. There’s Medjugorje, the most famous of the four because it becomes a United Nations of Catholic pilgrims. Said pilgrims sing songs that sound more like they’re from a Protestant youth group. There’s Visegrad, celebrating both the river Drina and the man who wrote about it, Ivo Andric. Tuzla celebrates Josef Tito but ambivalently. But the most fascinating town is Visoko, where, surprisingly, New Age beliefs reign. Director Igor Drljaca depicts all beliefs and histories from a distance. He depicts a lot of crowds but pulls away from them, which could be frustrating.

Drljacs’s style can occasionally make audiences wish that he should just dive into said crowds and enjoy them. But immersive experiences can overwhelm sometimes, and he knows this. This movie might just be the most placid depictions of such crowds and the noises they make. So much that it might make introverted people dive in too. Drljaca also pays attention to the verdant valleys that have made his birth country impenetrable and insular. A county that rewards those who dare come and stay. All these elements make for a strange travelogue. One that’s honest about a history that has caused their citizens so much pain. The film subtly shows off these four towns. They’re part of a country learning different things as it perpetually heals.