A Serbian Film

Srdjan Spasojevic – 2010 – Serbia
 

This is a great example of how a film can be hurt rather than helped by the hype surrounding it.  Touted as the most extreme movie ever made and bearing such a very important message, A Serbian Film may get a few more viewers but is ultimately left unable to deliver what it promises.  (I don’t see every film, by any means, and I don’t consider myself too jaded a moviegoer, but it seems like I’ve seen worse stuff depicted more graphically before.)  Milos (Srdjan Todorovic) is a retired porn star lured into a new film by a psychotic would-be auteur of porn named Vukmir (Sergej Trifunovic), a film that becomes more and more violent and disturbing as the shooting goes on.  Todorovic gives a truly nuanced performance in a difficult role, and the film is compelling throughout, (despite an unnecessarily convoluted flashback structure).  What damages it, though, is its own director’s introduction describing how urgently vital his film is and how it will force us to see “the truth” about “what’s going on.”  This context is completely unneeded as the film works fine on its own dramatic level.  If we respond to anything, it is to Milos’ emotional plight, not what it all may mean on a global level.  The insistence of Spasojevic to toot his own horn and tell us what to think about the film totally ruins the experience because in that light the film becomes something of a patronizing joke.  A good film should be able to speak for itself.  I would have advised Spasojevic to leave the explanations to the critics and have a little faith in his audience, especially since the film ultimately remains entirely metaphoric and does not get specific about Serbian political issues at all.