[left]Pinki (Dusan Pekic) and Kraut (Milan Maric) are two young boys caught in the middle of turbulent political times in Serbia (between 1991 and 1997). Influenced by their neighbour, the flashy Dickie (Dragan Bjelogrlic), they turn to a life of crime, sex, and drugs. [/left] [left]
Despite being a dark and fairly disturbing film, it contains enough humour to keep the audience laughing. One part that was particularly hilarious (with underlying disconcerting feeling) is when the boys convince Kraut's grandmother that a joint is an American cigarette and that the cocaine they are snorting is a remedy for stuffy noses. What follows is by far the most disturbing drug hallucination sequence I have ever seen (and I've watched Requiem for a Dream!). But I think one of the best things about this movie is the way Dragojevic managed to bring to life conditions in Serbia. I think that Western audiences have trouble understanding the Serbian mentality, especially after some recent atrocities. But this film serves well to detail life in Serbia leading up to the Milosevic incidents. All in all, this was a very good film. The plot was interesting, the humour was good, the acting was superb, the characters were believable, etc... Really, the only issue I had was the disturbing mental degeneration of the two main characters. But the very fact that I was, indeed, disturbed is tribute to good film-making. Just to add spice to the dish, this film had some of the best wound special effects I have ever seen. [/left]
July 10, 2005
