A Serbian Film
Encyclopedia
A Serbian Film is a 2010 Serbian
horror film
and the first feature film directed by Srđan Spasojević. It tells the story of a down-on-his-luck porn star who agrees to participate in an "art film
", only to discover that he has been drafted into a snuff film
with child rape and necrophilic
themes. The film stars Serbian actors Srđan Todorović and Sergej Trifunović
.
Upon its debut on the art film
circuit, the film received substantial attention for its graphic depictions of rape
, necrophilia
, and pedophilia
. The Serbian state prosecution opened an investigation to find out if the film violates the law. It is being investigated for elements of crime against sexual morals and crime related to the protection of minors. It was banned by a San Sebastián
(Spain
) court for "threatening sexual freedom" and thus could not be shown in the XXI Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror (21st Horror and Fantasy Film Festival) and banned in Norway
after two months of sales due to violation of criminal law section 204a and 382 that deals with sexual representation of children and extreme violence.
The film was shown at an adults only screening at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain during October 2010; as a result the festival's director Ángel Sala has been charged with exhibiting child pornography by the Spanish prosecutor who decided to take action in May 2011 after receiving a complaint from a Roman Catholic organization over a pair of scenes involving the rapes of a young child and a newborn.
n porn star with a beautiful wife, Marija (Jelena Gavrilović) and young son, Petar. His brother Marko (Slobodan Beštić
), a corrupt police officer who envies Miloš, is attracted to his wife, as well his former co-star Lejla (Katarina Žutić). Seeking one last payday to secure his family's future, Miloš is intrigued when Lejla offers him to star in an art film
being directed by Vukmir (Sergej Trifunović
), a well-connected, independent pornographer who wants to cast Miloš for his legendary ability to maintain a powerful erection. When Vukmir offers Miloš a large sum of money, Miloš reluctantly agrees, ambivalent towards Vukmir's insistence on keeping the film's details secret. Miloš jogs to get himself back in shape as a frustrated Marko visits Marija, before masturbating privately in the toilet. At a meeting with Vukmir, Miloš passes an older bald headed man with two large security guards, and regards them warily.
With filming begun, Miloš is taken to an orphanage where he is supplied an earpiece by Vukmir's driver, Raša (Miodrag Krčmarik), through which he is fed instructions by Vukmir. A film crew follows him around with cameras and puts him in various situations. Miloš sees a young girl who smiles back at him: the girl's abusive mother, whose deceased husband was a war hero, has disgraced herself by becoming a whore. He is then led into a dark room where he is fellated
by a nurse, and sees screens showing the young girl eating an ice lolly, and putting on make up. Later, he is instructed to receive oral sex with the abused mother while the young girl watches. Miloš becomes enraged and refuses to continue, but is grabbed from behind. The woman bites on his erection, forcing him to carry on. Miloš calls Marko, who is himself being fellated, to check files on Vukmir. Marko later informs him that Vukmir is an educated psychologist
, a children's TV producer, and has worked for state security. Later, Vukmir tries to explain his artistic style to a reluctant Miloš by showing him a film of Raša helping a woman give birth to a baby girl, but then proceeding to rape the newborn in what the director calls "newborn porn". Miloš storms out to his car and drives away. At a road junction, he is approached and seduced by Vukmir's doctor, an attractive woman.
A bloodied Miloš suddenly wakes up in his bed days later, with no memory of what happened. He returns to the abandoned set and finds a number of tapes. Viewing them, Miloš discovers that he was fed a mixture of drugs to induce a perpetually aggressive, sexually aroused, and suggestible state. Under this influence and at Vukmir's insistence, Miloš brutally beats and rapes the mother handcuffed to a bed before decapitating her with a machete in order to induce rigor mortis
. Another tape contains a scene in which a catatonic Miloš is sodomized by Vukmir's security and another depicts Lejla questioning Vukmir and wanting to help Miloš, only to later be chained in the middle of a room with all of her teeth having been removed. A masked man enters the room, forces his erect penis down her throat and pinches her nose until she suffocates. Eventually Miloš was led to the house of the young girl where an elderly woman praises him for killing the prostitute mother, and asking him to cement his masculine status by having sex with the girl. Miloš rejects the impulse and escapes through a window. He finds out that he ended up in an alleyway and was beaten by thugs, before they are promptly killed by Raša, who then takes him back to a warehouse with Vukmir.
At the warehouse, Miloš is drugged more heavily by the female doctor but manages to stick an injection into her throat, immobilising her. He is then taken into into a large room and made to sodomize two bodies hidden under covers on a bed. The masked man enters and begins to have sex with the larger body beside the second one Miloš is raping. Vukmir removes the covers to reveal that the masked man is Marko, his body to be Marija and Miloš's body to be his own son, also drugged and bleeding profusely from his rectum
, as Vukmir rejoices the coming together of a Serbian family. The bloodied doctor enters having violently placed a pipe into her vagina, before collapsing. An enraged Miloš lunges at Vukmir and smashes his head against the floor causing a melee
during which Marija attacks Marko and bludgeons him to death with a sculpture. Miloš wrestles a gun from a guard and kills all but the one-eyed Raša, who Miloš finishes by shoving his penis into his empty eye socket. A dying Vukmir praises Miloš' actions as worthy of film. Miloš then knocks out his wife, placing both her and his son at home before passing out, the events having come full circle.
Having remembered everything, Miloš returns home and contemplates suicide, but his wife stops him with a mutual understanding that he, his wife, and his child, should all commit suicide together. Miloš then cleans up and gathers his family in his bed, embracing, and using a pistol, fires a fatal shot through him, Petar, and Marija. Sometime later, the bald headed man from earlier, accompanied by actors and a film crew, enter the home. The director instructs the actors to begins the rape of the bodies, starting with the boy.
with the assistance of Aleksandar Radivojević, a well-known Serbian horror film critic best known for his work on the script of the Serbian blockbuster Tears for Sale. A Serbian Film is a domestic film specifically made for foreign presentation, one of many such works of Dragoljub Vojnov.
The financing was raised through Contrafilm, the Serbia-registered company specifically setup for that purpose. During the casting process there was concern on the filmmakers' part that first choices for the main protagonist roles - established main stream cinema stars in Serbia and other former Yugoslav countries Srđan Todorović and Sergej Trifunović - would shy away from the film due to its risque and extreme content, but it turned out to be unfounded as both accepted the parts immediately.
For budgetary reasons, the film was shot with Red One digital camera.
The post-production process of transferring the material to 35 mm film
unexpectedly turned into battle against censorship. After striking a deal with Arri
movie lab in Munich
and after the lab already finished the 35 mm prints, the heads of the lab showed up, bringing along lawyers and German police officers while informing the filmmakers that the film prints will not be handed to them. The filmmakers then took their digital material over to Hungary where Budapest
's Magyar Filmlab was willing to transfer it to 35 mm. In order to avoid the problems they experienced in Germany, this time the filmmakers even showed the movie beforehand to the lab management, which had no objections. However, when it came time to pick up the film prints, the filmmakers got a letter informing them that the prints will not be handed over "because the material broke Hungarian civil and family laws".
Faced with the incredible situation, the filmmakers came up with the strategy of dividing the phases of lab work between a couple of film labs around Europe. The process was finished only ten days before the scheduled premiere at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas
.
as part of the 2010 South by Southwest
. During the introduction by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's owner Tim League, the audience in the theater was once again warned about the extreme nature of the scenes they were about to see and given one last chance to leave the screening. The following day, the film played once more.
Next came the screening at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
in April.
On June 11, 2010 the film screened at home in Serbia as part of the Cinema City
festival in Novi Sad
.
The film was run on July 16 and 19, 2010 during the Fantasia Festival
in Montreal
as part of the Subversive Serbia programme.
The film was due to screen on August 29, 2010 at the Film Four FrightFest
in London, UK but was pulled by the organisers following the intervention of Westminster Council. Films shown at this festival are usually shown pre-certificate but in this case Westminster Council refused to grant permission for its exhibition until it had been classified by the BBFC
. Following its DVD submission to the BBFC (there were no theatrical materials available in the timeframe requested for a proper theatrical classification), 49 cuts totaling four minutes and eleven seconds were requested for DVD certification. The UK distributor, Revolver Entertainment
, initially looked into the possibilities of the process, but it became clear that the film would then have to be resubmitted to the BBFC and further cuts may then have been required. It was decided that to show a heavily edited version was not in the spirit of the festival and consequently its exhibition was pulled from the schedule. The film was replaced at the festival by Rodrigo Cortés
' Buried
starring Ryan Reynolds
.
The Raindance Film Festival
, that picked up the film at the Cannes Film Festival in May, subsequently held the UK premiere and 'found a way around the ban by billing the screening as a "private event"'. The Sun tabloid described the film as 'sick' and 'vile' following the festival's 2010 Press Launch and Westminster Council requested to monitor the invitations to the screening. The 35mm print was shipped from the BBFC for the 8 October 2010 premiere.
On October 21, 2010, the film had a single screening at Toronto
's Bloor Cinema
. It took place as part of the monthly event called Cinemacabre Movie Nights organized by the Rue Morgue magazine. The publication also spotlighted the film and featured it on its cover.
On November 26, 2010, the film was rated Refused Classification by the Australian Classification Board
, banning sales and public showings of the film in Australia
. However, on April 5, 2011, the Australian Classification Board approved a censored version of the film.
On July 12 and 16, 2011, the film was screened at FANTASPOA in Porto Alegre
, Brazil and at least at one other film festival in the country, before being banned just before a screening in Rio de Janeiro
. Initially the ban applied only in Rio, but afterwards the decision became valid throughout the country, pending further judgement of the film.
On March 2011, A Serbian Film won the Special Jury Prize in the 31st edition of Fantasporto
, Portugal's biggest film festival, in Porto.
The film had a limited release
in UK theaters on December 10, 2010 in the edited form (99 minutes), with 00:04:11 of its original content removed by the British Board of Film Classification
due to "elements of sexual violence that tend to eroticise or endorse sexual violence". A Serbian Film thus became the most censored cinema release in Britain since the 1994 Indian film Nammavar
that had five minutes and eight seconds of its violent content removed.
The film had a limited release in the United States on May 6, 2011, edited to 98 minutes with an NC-17 rating
. It was also released on VOD
at the website FlixFling on the same day, except only slightly edited to 103 minutes.
and Blu-ray Disc
release has been set for October 25, 2011 through Invincible Pictures. Netflix has refused to carry the film as well as wholesale outlets Ingram and VPD. It is available on demand at FlixFling.com.
and Germany. The movie was banned for distribution in Norway and is temporarily banned for screening in Brazil
. This was the first time a movie was banned in Brazil since the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution. The last banned film had been Je vous salue, Marie in 1986.
The film was refused classification and effectively banned days before its release date in South Australia.
Before its banning in Australia, major Australian DVD retailer JB Hi-Fi
announced that they would not be distributing the film, either online or in physical stores. They attributed the "Disturbing content of the film" and a disagreement with the then R-rating to their subsequent ban. However, the film was evidently available for a time.
On 19 September 2011, the Australian Classification Review Board again rated the film Refused Classification, effectively banning the film from distribution Australia-wide. According to the Review Board, "A Serbian Film could not be accommodated within the R18+ classification as the level of depictions of sexual violence, themes of incest and depictions of child sexual abuse in the film has an impact which is very high and not justified by context."
In September of 2011 Netflix
removed the film from their list of titles available for viewing and from their in-site search results without any official explanation.
On the question, why 'Srpski Film' for the title, Radivojević answers: "Srpski Film is also a metaphor for our national cinema - boring , predictable and altogether unintentionally hilarious which throughout our film to some extent is commented on and subtly parodied". Similarly, Radivojević describes Serbian cinema as "...pathetic state financed films made by people who have no sense or connection to film, but are strongly supported by foreign funds. Quality of the film is not their concern, only the bureaucratic upholding of the rule book on political correctness".
In another interview Spasojević is quoted as saying "my shocking 'A Serbian Film' exposes the fascism of political correctness". On the question of whether the violence depicted deals with Serbian soldiers and war crimes that they have committed, Spasojević answers: "'Srpski Film' does not touch upon war themes, but in a metaphorical way deals with the consequences of postwar society and a man that is exploited to the extreme in the name of securing the survival of his family".
"As much as we try to deal with our life in this film allegorically, and with the corrupt political authorities that govern it, we are also dealing with today’s Art and Cinema and the corrupt artistic authorities that govern them in a similar manner here. The films that preach and enforce political correctness are the dominant form of cinematic expression today. Nowadays in Eastern Europe you cannot get a film financed unless you have a pathetic and heartwarming ‘true story’ to tell about some poor lost refugee girls with matchsticks, who ended up as victims of war, famine and/or intolerance. They mostly deal with VICTIMS as heroes, and they use and manipulate them in order to activate the viewer’s empathy. They make a false, romanticized story about that victim and sell it as real life. That is real pornography and manipulation, and also spiritual violence – the cinematic fascism of political correctness".
Spasojević and Radivojević also express that the film is not exclusively dealing with Serbian issues but issues in the "New World" in general.
"We didn’t want to make a hermetic picture that would deal exclusively with our local tragedies, but to tell a story with global overtones, because Serbia is merely a reflection of the ways of today’s New World in general, as it tries to imitate it and fails miserably. Contrary to the peerless politically correct facade of the New World, it’s still a soulless devouring machine for killing every small freedom – of art and free speech – we have left, destroying everything different in its path".
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 38% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 21 reviews.
Scott Weinberg wrote "I think the film is tragic, sickening, disturbing, twisted, absurd, infuriated, and actually quite intelligent. There are those who will be unable (or unwilling) to decipher even the most basic of 'messages' buried within A Serbian Film, but I believe it's one of the most legitimately fascinating films I've ever seen. I admire and detest it at the same time. And I will never watch it again. Ever."
A more critical review came from Alison Willmore: "Movies can use transgressive topics and imagery toward great artistic resonance. They can also just use them for pure shock/novelty/boundary-pushing, which is where I'd group Serbian Film. That it comes from a country that's spent decades deep in violent conflict, civil unrest, corruption and ethnic tensions makes it tempting to read more into the film than I think it actually offers – ultimately, it has as much to say about its country of origin as Hostel does about America, which is a little, but nothing on the scale its title suggests."
Tim Anderson of horror review site Bloody Disgusting
likened the film to "having [his] soul raped" and dissuaded anyone reading his review from ever seeing it, writing: "If what I have written here is enough to turn your feelings of wonder into a burning desire to watch this monstrosity, then perhaps I haven't been clear enough. You don't want to see Serbian Film. You just think you do."
In his very negative review of A Serbian Film, BBC Radio 5 Live
's Mark Kermode
called it a "nasty piece of exploitation trash in the mold of Jörg Buttgereit
and Ruggero Deodato
", going on to add that "if it is somehow an allegory of Serbian family and Serbian politics then the allegory gets lost amidst the increasingly stupid splatter". Furthermore, he mentioned A Serbian Film again in his review of Fred: The Movie
, pairing the two as his least favourite viewing experiences of the year.
Harry Knowles
from Ain't It Cool News
lists it in his Top 10 films of 2010, stating "This is a fantastic, brilliant film – that given time, will eventually outgrow the absurd reactions of people that think it is a far harder film than it actually is." "The film is an incredibly great film, where everything feels correct in the context of the film. It is never exploitive."
A. O. Scott
of The New York Times
wrote in his review, "At first glance – and few are likely to dare a second – it belongs in the high-concept shock-horror tradition whose most recent and notorious specimen is probably The Human Centipede
. As is often the case with movies like this, A Serbian Film revels in its sheer inventive awfulness and dares the viewer to find a more serious layer of meaning."
Cinema of Serbia
The Cinema of Serbia comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Serbia or by Serbian filmmakers abroad.Serbia has been home to many internationally acclaimed films and directors.-Serbian theatre and cinema:Serbia has a well-established theatrical tradition with many...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and the first feature film directed by Srđan Spasojević. It tells the story of a down-on-his-luck porn star who agrees to participate in an "art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
", only to discover that he has been drafted into a snuff film
Snuff film
A snuff film is a motion picture genre that depicts the actual death or murder of a person or people, without the aid of special effects, for the express purpose of distribution and entertainment or financial exploitation. For-profit snuff films are generally regarded as an urban legend, whose...
with child rape and necrophilic
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
themes. The film stars Serbian actors Srđan Todorović and Sergej Trifunović
Sergej Trifunovic
Sergej Trifunović is a popular Bosnian Serb movie actor.-Biography:...
.
Upon its debut on the art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
circuit, the film received substantial attention for its graphic depictions of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
, and pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
. The Serbian state prosecution opened an investigation to find out if the film violates the law. It is being investigated for elements of crime against sexual morals and crime related to the protection of minors. It was banned by a San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) court for "threatening sexual freedom" and thus could not be shown in the XXI Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror (21st Horror and Fantasy Film Festival) and banned in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
after two months of sales due to violation of criminal law section 204a and 382 that deals with sexual representation of children and extreme violence.
The film was shown at an adults only screening at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain during October 2010; as a result the festival's director Ángel Sala has been charged with exhibiting child pornography by the Spanish prosecutor who decided to take action in May 2011 after receiving a complaint from a Roman Catholic organization over a pair of scenes involving the rapes of a young child and a newborn.
Plot
Miloš (Srđan Todorović) is a semi-retired SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n porn star with a beautiful wife, Marija (Jelena Gavrilović) and young son, Petar. His brother Marko (Slobodan Beštić
Slobodan Beštic
-Biography:He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University of Arts in Belgrade, 1987, Kl. Prof. Predraga Bajčetić. Worked in the Yugoslav Drama Theater in 1987 to 2001, then is employed at the National Theatre in Belgrade.-Professional education:...
), a corrupt police officer who envies Miloš, is attracted to his wife, as well his former co-star Lejla (Katarina Žutić). Seeking one last payday to secure his family's future, Miloš is intrigued when Lejla offers him to star in an art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
being directed by Vukmir (Sergej Trifunović
Sergej Trifunovic
Sergej Trifunović is a popular Bosnian Serb movie actor.-Biography:...
), a well-connected, independent pornographer who wants to cast Miloš for his legendary ability to maintain a powerful erection. When Vukmir offers Miloš a large sum of money, Miloš reluctantly agrees, ambivalent towards Vukmir's insistence on keeping the film's details secret. Miloš jogs to get himself back in shape as a frustrated Marko visits Marija, before masturbating privately in the toilet. At a meeting with Vukmir, Miloš passes an older bald headed man with two large security guards, and regards them warily.
With filming begun, Miloš is taken to an orphanage where he is supplied an earpiece by Vukmir's driver, Raša (Miodrag Krčmarik), through which he is fed instructions by Vukmir. A film crew follows him around with cameras and puts him in various situations. Miloš sees a young girl who smiles back at him: the girl's abusive mother, whose deceased husband was a war hero, has disgraced herself by becoming a whore. He is then led into a dark room where he is fellated
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
by a nurse, and sees screens showing the young girl eating an ice lolly, and putting on make up. Later, he is instructed to receive oral sex with the abused mother while the young girl watches. Miloš becomes enraged and refuses to continue, but is grabbed from behind. The woman bites on his erection, forcing him to carry on. Miloš calls Marko, who is himself being fellated, to check files on Vukmir. Marko later informs him that Vukmir is an educated psychologist
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, a children's TV producer, and has worked for state security. Later, Vukmir tries to explain his artistic style to a reluctant Miloš by showing him a film of Raša helping a woman give birth to a baby girl, but then proceeding to rape the newborn in what the director calls "newborn porn". Miloš storms out to his car and drives away. At a road junction, he is approached and seduced by Vukmir's doctor, an attractive woman.
A bloodied Miloš suddenly wakes up in his bed days later, with no memory of what happened. He returns to the abandoned set and finds a number of tapes. Viewing them, Miloš discovers that he was fed a mixture of drugs to induce a perpetually aggressive, sexually aroused, and suggestible state. Under this influence and at Vukmir's insistence, Miloš brutally beats and rapes the mother handcuffed to a bed before decapitating her with a machete in order to induce rigor mortis
Rigor mortis
Rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate...
. Another tape contains a scene in which a catatonic Miloš is sodomized by Vukmir's security and another depicts Lejla questioning Vukmir and wanting to help Miloš, only to later be chained in the middle of a room with all of her teeth having been removed. A masked man enters the room, forces his erect penis down her throat and pinches her nose until she suffocates. Eventually Miloš was led to the house of the young girl where an elderly woman praises him for killing the prostitute mother, and asking him to cement his masculine status by having sex with the girl. Miloš rejects the impulse and escapes through a window. He finds out that he ended up in an alleyway and was beaten by thugs, before they are promptly killed by Raša, who then takes him back to a warehouse with Vukmir.
At the warehouse, Miloš is drugged more heavily by the female doctor but manages to stick an injection into her throat, immobilising her. He is then taken into into a large room and made to sodomize two bodies hidden under covers on a bed. The masked man enters and begins to have sex with the larger body beside the second one Miloš is raping. Vukmir removes the covers to reveal that the masked man is Marko, his body to be Marija and Miloš's body to be his own son, also drugged and bleeding profusely from his rectum
Rectum
The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 cm long...
, as Vukmir rejoices the coming together of a Serbian family. The bloodied doctor enters having violently placed a pipe into her vagina, before collapsing. An enraged Miloš lunges at Vukmir and smashes his head against the floor causing a melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
during which Marija attacks Marko and bludgeons him to death with a sculpture. Miloš wrestles a gun from a guard and kills all but the one-eyed Raša, who Miloš finishes by shoving his penis into his empty eye socket. A dying Vukmir praises Miloš' actions as worthy of film. Miloš then knocks out his wife, placing both her and his son at home before passing out, the events having come full circle.
Having remembered everything, Miloš returns home and contemplates suicide, but his wife stops him with a mutual understanding that he, his wife, and his child, should all commit suicide together. Miloš then cleans up and gathers his family in his bed, embracing, and using a pistol, fires a fatal shot through him, Petar, and Marija. Sometime later, the bald headed man from earlier, accompanied by actors and a film crew, enter the home. The director instructs the actors to begins the rape of the bodies, starting with the boy.
Cast
- Srđan Todorović as Miloš
- Sergej TrifunovićSergej TrifunovicSergej Trifunović is a popular Bosnian Serb movie actor.-Biography:...
as Vukmir - Jelena Gavrilović as Marija
- Slobodan BeštićSlobodan Beštic-Biography:He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University of Arts in Belgrade, 1987, Kl. Prof. Predraga Bajčetić. Worked in the Yugoslav Drama Theater in 1987 to 2001, then is employed at the National Theatre in Belgrade.-Professional education:...
as Marko - Katarina Žutić as Lejla
- Anđela Nenadović as Jeca
- Ana Sakić as Jeca's mother
- Lidija Pletl as Jeca's granny
- Lena Bogdanović as a doctor
- Luka Mijatović as Stefan
- Nenad Heraković as Keeper #1
- Carni Đerić as Keeper #2
- Miodrag Krčmarik as Raša
- Tanja Divnić as Kindergarten teacher
- Marina Savić as Prostitute #3
- Nataša Miljuš as Pregnant woman
Production
Srđan Spasojević co-wrote the screenplayScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
with the assistance of Aleksandar Radivojević, a well-known Serbian horror film critic best known for his work on the script of the Serbian blockbuster Tears for Sale. A Serbian Film is a domestic film specifically made for foreign presentation, one of many such works of Dragoljub Vojnov.
The financing was raised through Contrafilm, the Serbia-registered company specifically setup for that purpose. During the casting process there was concern on the filmmakers' part that first choices for the main protagonist roles - established main stream cinema stars in Serbia and other former Yugoslav countries Srđan Todorović and Sergej Trifunović - would shy away from the film due to its risque and extreme content, but it turned out to be unfounded as both accepted the parts immediately.
For budgetary reasons, the film was shot with Red One digital camera.
The post-production process of transferring the material to 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
unexpectedly turned into battle against censorship. After striking a deal with Arri
Arri
-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
movie lab in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and after the lab already finished the 35 mm prints, the heads of the lab showed up, bringing along lawyers and German police officers while informing the filmmakers that the film prints will not be handed to them. The filmmakers then took their digital material over to Hungary where Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
's Magyar Filmlab was willing to transfer it to 35 mm. In order to avoid the problems they experienced in Germany, this time the filmmakers even showed the movie beforehand to the lab management, which had no objections. However, when it came time to pick up the film prints, the filmmakers got a letter informing them that the prints will not be handed over "because the material broke Hungarian civil and family laws".
Faced with the incredible situation, the filmmakers came up with the strategy of dividing the phases of lab work between a couple of film labs around Europe. The process was finished only ten days before the scheduled premiere at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Film festival circuit
The first ever showing of A Serbian Film took place on March 15, 2010 at midnight in AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
as part of the 2010 South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
. During the introduction by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's owner Tim League, the audience in the theater was once again warned about the extreme nature of the scenes they were about to see and given one last chance to leave the screening. The following day, the film played once more.
Next came the screening at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival , previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film was created in 1983 as a venue for horror, thriller and science fiction films. It takes place in Brussels, every year in March...
in April.
On June 11, 2010 the film screened at home in Serbia as part of the Cinema City
Cinema City (film festival)
Cinema City is annual film and new media festival held annually in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2010 festival was held from 5th to 12th June. presents one of the most interesting events in domain of film and culture in the region. Festival is based on a concept of festival city, which was promoted at...
festival in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
.
The film was run on July 16 and 19, 2010 during the Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
as part of the Subversive Serbia programme.
The film was due to screen on August 29, 2010 at the Film Four FrightFest
London FrightFest Film Festival
FrightFest is an annual film festival held in central London over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The first event was held in the year 2000....
in London, UK but was pulled by the organisers following the intervention of Westminster Council. Films shown at this festival are usually shown pre-certificate but in this case Westminster Council refused to grant permission for its exhibition until it had been classified by the BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
. Following its DVD submission to the BBFC (there were no theatrical materials available in the timeframe requested for a proper theatrical classification), 49 cuts totaling four minutes and eleven seconds were requested for DVD certification. The UK distributor, Revolver Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment is a marketing-lead, all rights film distribution company. Founded in 1997, the company has operations in both London and Los Angeles....
, initially looked into the possibilities of the process, but it became clear that the film would then have to be resubmitted to the BBFC and further cuts may then have been required. It was decided that to show a heavily edited version was not in the spirit of the festival and consequently its exhibition was pulled from the schedule. The film was replaced at the festival by Rodrigo Cortés
Rodrigo Cortés
Rodrigo Cortés Giráldez is a Spanish film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and occasional actor.-Career:Cortés' fondness for film making started at an early stage. At 16 he had already directed his first short film in Super 8...
' Buried
Buried (film)
Buried is a 2010 Spanish thriller film directed by Rodrigo Cortés. It stars Ryan Reynolds, and was written by Chris Sparling.The film revolves around Iraq-based American truck driver Paul Conroy , who, after being attacked, finds himself buried alive in a wooden coffin, with only a lighter, flask,...
starring Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
.
The Raindance Film Festival
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
, that picked up the film at the Cannes Film Festival in May, subsequently held the UK premiere and 'found a way around the ban by billing the screening as a "private event"'. The Sun tabloid described the film as 'sick' and 'vile' following the festival's 2010 Press Launch and Westminster Council requested to monitor the invitations to the screening. The 35mm print was shipped from the BBFC for the 8 October 2010 premiere.
On October 21, 2010, the film had a single screening at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Bloor Cinema
Bloor Cinema
The Bloor Cinema is an independent theatre in The Annex district of downtown Toronto, Canada, located at 506 Bloor Street West, near its intersection with Bathurst Street and the TTC's Bathurst station....
. It took place as part of the monthly event called Cinemacabre Movie Nights organized by the Rue Morgue magazine. The publication also spotlighted the film and featured it on its cover.
On November 26, 2010, the film was rated Refused Classification by the Australian Classification Board
Australian Classification Board
The Australian Classification Board is a statutory classification body formed by the Australian Government which classifies films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia since its establishment in 1970. The Australian Classification Board was originally incorporated...
, banning sales and public showings of the film in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, on April 5, 2011, the Australian Classification Board approved a censored version of the film.
On July 12 and 16, 2011, the film was screened at FANTASPOA in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Brazil and at least at one other film festival in the country, before being banned just before a screening in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Initially the ban applied only in Rio, but afterwards the decision became valid throughout the country, pending further judgement of the film.
On March 2011, A Serbian Film won the Special Jury Prize in the 31st edition of Fantasporto
Fantasporto
Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
, Portugal's biggest film festival, in Porto.
General theatrical release
On September 24, 2010, A Serbian Film was released uncensored (103 minutes) in Serbian theaters, with screening times scheduled late at night.The film had a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
in UK theaters on December 10, 2010 in the edited form (99 minutes), with 00:04:11 of its original content removed by the British Board of Film Classification
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
due to "elements of sexual violence that tend to eroticise or endorse sexual violence". A Serbian Film thus became the most censored cinema release in Britain since the 1994 Indian film Nammavar
Nammavar
Nammavar is a 1994 Tamil language film K. S. Sethumadhavan and starring Kamal Haasan and Gouthami in lead roles.Kamal Hassan plays a revolutionary lecturer/vice principal of a college. The movie is about how he tries to reform the downtrodden college by his initiatives and its consequences. The...
that had five minutes and eight seconds of its violent content removed.
The film had a limited release in the United States on May 6, 2011, edited to 98 minutes with an NC-17 rating
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
. It was also released on VOD
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
at the website FlixFling on the same day, except only slightly edited to 103 minutes.
Home media
The film's North American DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
release has been set for October 25, 2011 through Invincible Pictures. Netflix has refused to carry the film as well as wholesale outlets Ingram and VPD. It is available on demand at FlixFling.com.
Ban
The film is banned in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Germany. The movie was banned for distribution in Norway and is temporarily banned for screening in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. This was the first time a movie was banned in Brazil since the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution. The last banned film had been Je vous salue, Marie in 1986.
The film was refused classification and effectively banned days before its release date in South Australia.
Before its banning in Australia, major Australian DVD retailer JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
announced that they would not be distributing the film, either online or in physical stores. They attributed the "Disturbing content of the film" and a disagreement with the then R-rating to their subsequent ban. However, the film was evidently available for a time.
On 19 September 2011, the Australian Classification Review Board again rated the film Refused Classification, effectively banning the film from distribution Australia-wide. According to the Review Board, "A Serbian Film could not be accommodated within the R18+ classification as the level of depictions of sexual violence, themes of incest and depictions of child sexual abuse in the film has an impact which is very high and not justified by context."
In September of 2011 Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
removed the film from their list of titles available for viewing and from their in-site search results without any official explanation.
Interpretation
The director and writer, Srdan Spasojević and Aleksandar Radivojević, have made statements to the effect that their creation is a parody of modern politically correct films made in Serbia which are financially supported by foreign funds.On the question, why 'Srpski Film' for the title, Radivojević answers: "Srpski Film is also a metaphor for our national cinema - boring , predictable and altogether unintentionally hilarious which throughout our film to some extent is commented on and subtly parodied". Similarly, Radivojević describes Serbian cinema as "...pathetic state financed films made by people who have no sense or connection to film, but are strongly supported by foreign funds. Quality of the film is not their concern, only the bureaucratic upholding of the rule book on political correctness".
In another interview Spasojević is quoted as saying "my shocking 'A Serbian Film' exposes the fascism of political correctness". On the question of whether the violence depicted deals with Serbian soldiers and war crimes that they have committed, Spasojević answers: "'Srpski Film' does not touch upon war themes, but in a metaphorical way deals with the consequences of postwar society and a man that is exploited to the extreme in the name of securing the survival of his family".
"As much as we try to deal with our life in this film allegorically, and with the corrupt political authorities that govern it, we are also dealing with today’s Art and Cinema and the corrupt artistic authorities that govern them in a similar manner here. The films that preach and enforce political correctness are the dominant form of cinematic expression today. Nowadays in Eastern Europe you cannot get a film financed unless you have a pathetic and heartwarming ‘true story’ to tell about some poor lost refugee girls with matchsticks, who ended up as victims of war, famine and/or intolerance. They mostly deal with VICTIMS as heroes, and they use and manipulate them in order to activate the viewer’s empathy. They make a false, romanticized story about that victim and sell it as real life. That is real pornography and manipulation, and also spiritual violence – the cinematic fascism of political correctness".
Spasojević and Radivojević also express that the film is not exclusively dealing with Serbian issues but issues in the "New World" in general.
"We didn’t want to make a hermetic picture that would deal exclusively with our local tragedies, but to tell a story with global overtones, because Serbia is merely a reflection of the ways of today’s New World in general, as it tries to imitate it and fails miserably. Contrary to the peerless politically correct facade of the New World, it’s still a soulless devouring machine for killing every small freedom – of art and free speech – we have left, destroying everything different in its path".
Reception
The film was released to great controversy in terms of its graphic and often sexually explicit violence. Spasojević has responded to the controversy with "This is a diary of our own molestation by the Serbian government... It's about the monolithic power of leaders who hypnotize you to do things you don't want to do. You have to feel the violence to know what it's about."Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 38% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 21 reviews.
Scott Weinberg wrote "I think the film is tragic, sickening, disturbing, twisted, absurd, infuriated, and actually quite intelligent. There are those who will be unable (or unwilling) to decipher even the most basic of 'messages' buried within A Serbian Film, but I believe it's one of the most legitimately fascinating films I've ever seen. I admire and detest it at the same time. And I will never watch it again. Ever."
A more critical review came from Alison Willmore: "Movies can use transgressive topics and imagery toward great artistic resonance. They can also just use them for pure shock/novelty/boundary-pushing, which is where I'd group Serbian Film. That it comes from a country that's spent decades deep in violent conflict, civil unrest, corruption and ethnic tensions makes it tempting to read more into the film than I think it actually offers – ultimately, it has as much to say about its country of origin as Hostel does about America, which is a little, but nothing on the scale its title suggests."
Tim Anderson of horror review site Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
likened the film to "having [his] soul raped" and dissuaded anyone reading his review from ever seeing it, writing: "If what I have written here is enough to turn your feelings of wonder into a burning desire to watch this monstrosity, then perhaps I haven't been clear enough. You don't want to see Serbian Film. You just think you do."
In his very negative review of A Serbian Film, BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
's Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He contributes to Sight and Sound magazine, The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he presents Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews with Simon Mayo on Friday afternoons...
called it a "nasty piece of exploitation trash in the mold of Jörg Buttgereit
Jörg Buttgereit
Jörg Buttgereit is a German writer/director known for his controversial films. He was born in Berlin, Germany and has lived there for his entire life.He is maybe best known for his 1987 film Nekromantik....
and Ruggero Deodato
Ruggero Deodato
Ruggero Deodato is an Italian film director and screen writer, best known for directing violent and gory horror films. Deodato is infamous for his 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust.- Biography :...
", going on to add that "if it is somehow an allegory of Serbian family and Serbian politics then the allegory gets lost amidst the increasingly stupid splatter". Furthermore, he mentioned A Serbian Film again in his review of Fred: The Movie
Fred: The Movie
Fred: The Movie is a 2010 independent comedy film written by David A. Goodman, directed by Clay Weiner, and produced by Brian Robbins. The film is based on the adventures of Fred Figglehorn, a character created and played by Lucas Cruikshank for Cruikshank's YouTube channel...
, pairing the two as his least favourite viewing experiences of the year.
Harry Knowles
Harry Knowles
Harry Knowles is known for his website called Ain't It Cool News. Knowles is a member of the Austin Film Critics Association.-Biography:...
from Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
lists it in his Top 10 films of 2010, stating "This is a fantastic, brilliant film – that given time, will eventually outgrow the absurd reactions of people that think it is a far harder film than it actually is." "The film is an incredibly great film, where everything feels correct in the context of the film. It is never exploitive."
A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote in his review, "At first glance – and few are likely to dare a second – it belongs in the high-concept shock-horror tradition whose most recent and notorious specimen is probably The Human Centipede
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
The Human Centipede is a 2010 Dutch horror film written and directed by Tom Six. The film tells the story of a German doctor who kidnaps three tourists and joins them surgically, mouth to anus, forming a "human centipede". It stars Dieter Laser as the villain, Dr. Heiter, with Ashley C. Williams,...
. As is often the case with movies like this, A Serbian Film revels in its sheer inventive awfulness and dares the viewer to find a more serious layer of meaning."
External links
(Serbia) (US)- Invincible Pictures (North American distributor)