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See You in the Obituary is a 1995 made-for-TV
35-minute documentary
directed by Janko Baljak based on the book The Crime That Changed Serbia by Aleksandar Knežević and Vojislav Tufegdžić. Made in the form of an extended news
report with narration by journalist Dina Čolić-Anđelković, the movie presents a snapshot of the chaotic Belgrade
underworld in the early 1990s against the backdrop of war
s in Croatia
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
The film is composed of fragments from interviews with individuals directly involved with criminal activities either through perpetrating them or through trying to stop them.
Over the years, the film developed an absolute cult status amongst the audiences, mainly due to its raw authenticity, the characters interviewed, and the portrayal of a time (early and mid nineties) in Serbia, and Belgrade in particular, that is considered the worst in its history - economically, socially, etc.
in Special Operations Unit (JSO) uniform in front of his soldiers though he's not mentioned by name as he was still very much unknown to the general public at that time.
is in full swing with young professionals leaving to go abroad while many local career criminals plying their trade in Western Europe have returned home to take advantage of the chaotic situation.
To further its point, the narration refers to the heinous crime that occurred on December 1, 1993 in New Belgrade. Two returnees from the frontlines, Ilija Vujić and Darko Lončarić, broke into the apartment at Pohorska Street inhabited by Verica Židić and her 13-year-old son Davor. Vujić shot the mother in the liver, a technique he learned in the war that apparently allows the victim to live a little longer before succumbing, in order to have enough time to question her about her savings they were after. He then proceeded to kill her son as well. Belgrade police inspector Ljuba Milovanović is then interviewed about the gruesome double murder. He says that during questioning, Vujić's coldblooded response to their question why he killed the son was: "Fuck the kid, he was supposed to be in school at that time of day, anyway". Narrator then informs us that before being apprehended by police, Vujić and Lončarić apparently recounted the details of their crime in front of a full Belgrade cafe. None of the cafe guests who heard the story at the time found it necessary to call the police. In the end, Vujić received the death penalty.
War-struck Serbia is a frustrated nation. Young people realise that their future offers them only poverty, uncertainty and fear. As in many cities of ex-Communist countries in which the standard of living falls off rapidly, the young are easily tempted by the money, the glamour and the delights, the things that are offered to one if a member of a gang. In the words of Bane Grebenarević: "Every young man in Serbia dreams of becoming a member of a gang for five minutes in his life.". The same person adds that "Mortals (that is, ordinary people) will not experience in their entire life what one of us experiences in one day."
It is a generation that wants it all and it wants it now. Their idols are notorious criminals such as Carlos
and Arkan. They acknowledge the fact that criminal activity in Serbia has not reached Western standards because of the lack of "professionalism."
The power of the film is that criminals themselves are talking about crime in Serbia. They explain how things work and assess the positive and negative aspects of the criminal profession in the country. It is an unusual and disquieting opportunity for the viewer to peer into the underworld of the Balkans
. The last scenes - the funerals of three of the people who had been interviewed and were killed during the shooting of the film - came to remind us that what we have seen and heard, no matter how unbelievable it may seem, is real. It is a documentary based on an original idea, rarely seen in the past and its immediacy make it compelling viewing.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
35-minute documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Janko Baljak based on the book The Crime That Changed Serbia by Aleksandar Knežević and Vojislav Tufegdžić. Made in the form of an extended news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
report with narration by journalist Dina Čolić-Anđelković, the movie presents a snapshot of the chaotic Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
underworld in the early 1990s against the backdrop of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
s in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
The film is composed of fragments from interviews with individuals directly involved with criminal activities either through perpetrating them or through trying to stop them.
Over the years, the film developed an absolute cult status amongst the audiences, mainly due to its raw authenticity, the characters interviewed, and the portrayal of a time (early and mid nineties) in Serbia, and Belgrade in particular, that is considered the worst in its history - economically, socially, etc.
Synopsis
As the opening credits roll, See You in the Obituary begins with shots of infamous Milorad "Legija" UlemekMilorad Ulemek
Milorad "Legija" Ulemek , also known as Milorad Luković is a former commander of the Serbian secret police special unit, the Red Berets , convicted of the assassinations of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic and organiser of the attempted murder of the...
in Special Operations Unit (JSO) uniform in front of his soldiers though he's not mentioned by name as he was still very much unknown to the general public at that time.
Intro
The narrator sets the tone by informing the audience that although not directly and officially involved in the war, Serbia very much feels its effects: country is under the UN trade embargo, inflation rate is sky-high, the streets of Serbian cities are flooded with weapons, the brain drainBrain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
is in full swing with young professionals leaving to go abroad while many local career criminals plying their trade in Western Europe have returned home to take advantage of the chaotic situation.
To further its point, the narration refers to the heinous crime that occurred on December 1, 1993 in New Belgrade. Two returnees from the frontlines, Ilija Vujić and Darko Lončarić, broke into the apartment at Pohorska Street inhabited by Verica Židić and her 13-year-old son Davor. Vujić shot the mother in the liver, a technique he learned in the war that apparently allows the victim to live a little longer before succumbing, in order to have enough time to question her about her savings they were after. He then proceeded to kill her son as well. Belgrade police inspector Ljuba Milovanović is then interviewed about the gruesome double murder. He says that during questioning, Vujić's coldblooded response to their question why he killed the son was: "Fuck the kid, he was supposed to be in school at that time of day, anyway". Narrator then informs us that before being apprehended by police, Vujić and Lončarić apparently recounted the details of their crime in front of a full Belgrade cafe. None of the cafe guests who heard the story at the time found it necessary to call the police. In the end, Vujić received the death penalty.
Gangsters
The movie then shifts to interviews with various Belgrade gangsters. While some of them act through close-knit criminal clans others seem to be freelancers. Many of them have also done work for the State Security.New Belgrade clans
- Radoslav Trlajić, widely known in the underworld as Bata Trlaja, was 31 years old at the time of his appearance in the movie. Owner of a restaurantRestaurantA restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and a night club, he talks about a shootoutShootoutA shootout is a gun battle between armed groups. A shootout often, but not necessarily, pits law enforcement against criminal elements; it could also involve two groups outside of law enforcement, such as rival gangs. A shootout in a military context A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups....
that occurred in his night club during which
War-struck Serbia is a frustrated nation. Young people realise that their future offers them only poverty, uncertainty and fear. As in many cities of ex-Communist countries in which the standard of living falls off rapidly, the young are easily tempted by the money, the glamour and the delights, the things that are offered to one if a member of a gang. In the words of Bane Grebenarević: "Every young man in Serbia dreams of becoming a member of a gang for five minutes in his life.". The same person adds that "Mortals (that is, ordinary people) will not experience in their entire life what one of us experiences in one day."
It is a generation that wants it all and it wants it now. Their idols are notorious criminals such as Carlos
Carlos the Jackal
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez , better known as Carlos the Jackal, is a Venezuelan pro-Palestinian currently serving a life sentence in France for shooting to death two French secret agents and a Lebanese informer in 1975....
and Arkan. They acknowledge the fact that criminal activity in Serbia has not reached Western standards because of the lack of "professionalism."
The power of the film is that criminals themselves are talking about crime in Serbia. They explain how things work and assess the positive and negative aspects of the criminal profession in the country. It is an unusual and disquieting opportunity for the viewer to peer into the underworld of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. The last scenes - the funerals of three of the people who had been interviewed and were killed during the shooting of the film - came to remind us that what we have seen and heard, no matter how unbelievable it may seem, is real. It is a documentary based on an original idea, rarely seen in the past and its immediacy make it compelling viewing.
Sources
- "Another Truth: Recent Serbian documentaries at the Raindance Film Festival", by Maria Vidali, Central Europe Review, Vol 1, No 18, 25 October 1999
- "Awards" from B92B92B92 is a radio and television broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. The network's key demographic is chiefly urban and young audience. Its programs, including the news cover topics with fairly liberal political painted attitudes...
.