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Visitors Review

babicsnk 2012-05-18 23:47:30

It just confirmed what I already knew

I just came back from the cinema where I saw this film. I rarely go tothe cinema but since this is our Oscar nominee I thought that it isworth watching. And I was right.Don't get me wrong. I saw this film tonight and hopefully never again.The plot is simple. A group of famous Belgrade (Serbia) actors come toKrajina (Bosnia), which is caught by a bloody war, on a tour hoping toearn some quick cash. Through a series of unplanned events they end upon the front line face to face with all the horrors of war. Theyeventually run into all the sides involved in war: Serbs, Croats andmuslims. This is what bugs me the most about this film. Although thisis a Serbian film with Serbian actors (except for Mira Furlan, whoprobably did the best job) the Serbs from Krajina are portrayed like asavage, blood thirsty lynch mob. This is what hurts me the most.Although we are one nation the people from Serbia think of us asprimitive barbarians (especially most the people from Belgrade). Whileon the other hand, Croats and Muslims are represented like mostcivilized. I'm not saying here that Serbs were better than them but theimage shown here is just too harsh.Apart from that this movie has many realistic scenes like for examplethe fight between two Serbian military leaders which actually happenedor the story about Muslim groups which fought each other. The filmlooks somewhat cheap at the times (a couple of scenes look like theywere dragged out of some home made video). Since this is supposed to bea comedy I can say that in that aspect the film delivers. It has enoughlaughs to keep you interested during the while film and a couple ofscenes which will make you cry from laughter. But definitely the bestfeature of this film is Gordan Kičić and his portrait of Lale. In myopinion the role of Lale is also the best written one. His points aboutthe war and his cynic comments completely correspond with opinion ofmost of young people about the war, although the scene where he shouts''I'm not a Serb!'' is a bit too much for me. I also have to commendthe performance of Aleksandar Stojkovic, who did a good job.I don't believe that this film is a good choice for Oscar, because ifnothing else, if you do not know many facts about the sides involved inthe war you just won't be able to understand this film. It is no wonderthat the world considers us to be savages when we alone representourselves in that light. Go see this film and if possible forget itsoon. My grade is 5/10 mostly due to great Kičić's performance.

Alfabeta 2012-05-18 17:56:25

Nevermind the war story, this is terrible as a film

If this film was made 10 years ago, maybe it would have worked. If itwas taped as a theater play, maybe it would work. Made as a featurefilm, it doesn't work in any way.For starters, the production for this film looks terrible. It lookslike a TV film most of the time. Direction is awful. Everything lookslike it was shot in first take. Editing is often slow and oftennonexistent (too many shots that go nowhere). Cinematography is awful.Scenes are either overexposed ("in your face" and without subtlety) orunderexposed (boring and too subtle). It's like the camera was turnedon and left running without anyone behind it. Everything looks gray,lifeless and dull. Sound often cuts off or is completely unintelligible(but this is a common problem in ex YU films).However, all this wouldn't be so bad if the screenplay was any good inthe first place (considering who wrote it, it had to be).Unfortunately, screenplay and story are the biggest flaws in this film.First off, the characters are incredibly stupid and completelystereotypical (dumbass Belgradians in their high heals, get to see whatreal horror is). However, even that wouldn't be so bad if thecharacters ever had a chance to develop. Changes in them do comethroughout the movie, but they are obviously forced (all of a sudden acharacter has learned a lesson). Even that could have worked if thecharacters weren't completely lifeless and if they ever got the chanceto show their individuality. In the end, the audience can't really careabout any of them (unless a cinema-goer likes a certain actor oractress). Actors (and actresses) do an awful job here. They are noteven trying most of the time. Often, they just look confused, or theyput on their "serious acting expressions" for a scene, and then they goback to being idle again. Most of the characters here, have no realpurpose, except to be used for a five minute scene at some point, toforce the stupid plot further. Plot is terrible from the start, andthen it gets worse and dumber by a minute (gee, our driver is off;let's walk through a war zone in the middle of the night, 'cause wecan't wait for him). Also, the movie can't make up it's mind if it is acharacter piece, or a moral story. Dialogs in the movie show that therewas an idea behind this mess, but they are terribly executed most ofthe time, and often just turn out stupid, crude or unnecessary.This is a dark comedy, but a fifteen year-old could write better jokes.(a thirteen year-old probably wrote these). The war scenes that shouldteach us something are ridiculous, superficial, forced, over the top ordull and pointless ("in your face" instant morals get old pretty fast).There are only three saving graces here (therefore the stars). One: Thefirst scene at Jackson's (one time that character Lale is actuallyfunny) concluding with Ljubic's nationalistic poem. Two: Jelena Djokic,who actually tried to act out the ridiculous script. And three: Thenoble effort with some good ideas to make an anti-war movie, thatsomewhere along the lines, went terribly stupid (and wrong).This script should have been made ten years ago, when it actuallymattered (like Bure Baruta a.k.a. The Powder Keg), and when the crewwas still in their top form. Unfortunately it got staled in themeantime and the crew with it.If you want a good (forgoten) anti-war ex YU film, forget this mess,and try Pun mesec nad Beogradom (Full Moon Over Belgrade) (if you canfind it).3/10