Vladan Petkovic
Tomatometer-approved critic
Vladan Petkovic (Belgrade, 1978) is a journalist, film critic, festival programmer and translator. He is the correspondent for the territories of former Yugoslavia at Screen International and senior writer at Cineuropa. He is a programmer for ZagrebDox and Rab Film Festival (Croatia), Skopje Film Festival (Macedonia), and FeKK in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and contributes as guest programmer and advisor for numerous international film festivals around Europe. Petkovic is the head of studies of GoCritic!, a recently established training programme for aspiring film journalists and critics, in collaboration with Cineuropa.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Perpetrator (2023) |
Jennifer Reeder's new feminist horror treads the uncertain path between seriousness and campiness, but its atmospheric power and affirmative message are undeniable - Cineuropa
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| Posted Mar 07, 2023
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Tantura (2022) |
Tantura is an extremely well-researched film and is very competently put together, with numerous expert testimonies and priceless, previously unseen archive footage and photographs that leave little doubt as to what essentially happened... - Cineuropa
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| Posted Oct 18, 2022
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Black Mambas (2022) |
Karbe's sober approach ensures that the crucial nuances of the complex topic stand out, as it is not possible to view any of them completely separately. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 02, 2022
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The White Fortress (2021) |
Drljača's precise script and its exciting character arcs, Erol Zubčević's reliable camerawork and Ajla Odobašić's sober and rhythmical editing make it a tight, accomplished film, but its real star is the Serbian actor Čemerikić. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Apr 17, 2022
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Leonora Addio (2022) |
Consisting of two distinct parts, it again displays the old master's lightness of touch in what is an homage to Luigi Pirandello, his own youth, his country and its cinema. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Mar 21, 2022
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Sava (2021) |
Despite a few... shortcomings, Sava runs smoothly, often dipping into a sort of magical whimsicality and nostalgia with Furlan's voice-over, partly written and partly improvised. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Feb 01, 2022
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Lada Kamenski (2018) |
In the end, Lada Kamenski is quite a watchable little film, engaging and thought-provoking, but falling short of its own professed ambition - specifically in the thought department. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Jan 05, 2022
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Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege (2021) |
Little Palestine is a difficult watch, but it is also a testament to the spirit of the besieged. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 29, 2021
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The Gig is Up (2021) |
Canadian director Shannon Walsh delivers an eye-opening investigative documentary on the gig economy. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 28, 2021
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Summer Night (2019) |
Even though it is a decidedly small, intimate affair, Summer Nights offers a singular viewing experience... - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 28, 2021
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A Thousand Fires (2021) |
Segments allow the viewer to reflect on the meaning of parenthood and family, and it is striking how easy it is to feel for these people coming from a completely different civilisational background... - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 28, 2021
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Divas (2021) |
This conversation between generations - and sexes - is one of the film's most interesting aspects, but Kőrösi carefully sticks to the boundary he has set by the camera, except when explicitly invited to cross it... - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 28, 2021
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The Elegy of Laurel (2021) |
In his first feature, Montenegrin director Duan Kasalica shows enviable control in a scathing drama about a self-satisfied man. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 28, 2021
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Sunny (Sanî/32) (2018) |
The universality of Sunny really lies in this relatability to the protagonist, which is strengthened by the decision to focus on the facial expressions and body language of the interviewees as they ponder the survey questions... - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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The Staffroom (2021) |
Sonja Tarokić's feature debut is a master class in directing, with a strong social message and powerful emotion in a setting that represents a microcosm of Croatian society. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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As Far as I Can Walk (2021) |
Serbian director Stefan Arsenijević is back with a surprising concept and an accomplished film telling the story of two African refugees looking for their place in Europe. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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Otar's Death (2021) |
Dimitri Dekanosidze's camera work is rich and creative, highlighting the urban-rural divide with opposing colour schemes amidst a wide range of exteriors and interiors. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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Patchwork (2021) |
The second feature by Cypriot director Petros Charalambous asks the potent, little-explored question: is a woman allowed to regret being a mother? - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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Wild Roots (2021) |
Hajni Kis' first feature is a small film with a big heart, making up for its conventional story and message with some excellent work with two wonderful non-professional actors - Cineuropa
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| Posted Sep 21, 2021
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Four Seasons in a Day (2021) |
The documentary explores the thoughts and emotions of people living around the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in a perplexingly bland, vanilla way. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Bebia, à Mon Seul Désir (2020) |
Despite problems with character development and some muddled symbolism, this gorgeous black-and-white picture makes for a unique viewing experience. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Natural Light (2021) |
A hardcore auteur film, intense, slow and deliberately paced. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Moon, 66 Questions (2021) |
Greek writer-director Jacqueline Lentzou makes a unique film on a tough subject through a playful approach. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Stop-Zemlia (2021) |
Stop-Zemlia creates a convincing world of high-school troubles, pains and joys, but also darkly sensitive moments that the viewer easily gets immersed in. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (2021) |
An idiosyncratic mix of styles, genres and forms that incredibly wraps into a coherent 150 minutes of cinematic joy. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Celts (2021) |
A fully fledged world in which nostalgia is largely replaced with bitterness, a whirlwind of conflicts, romances, resentments and envy, but also of genuine human connection, even generosity. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Ballad of a White Cow (2021) |
A perfectly told story about deep emotional issues and ethical dilemmas. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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For Lucio (2021) |
Italian filmmaker Pietro Marcello returns to the documentary form with this tribute to popular Bolognese singer Lucio Dalla - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Fucking with Nobody (2020) |
Fucking with Nobody actually fucks with everybody, including itself, and if this extreme irony protects it from being taken too seriously, it also prevents it from being taken seriously enough. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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Sound of Violence (2021) |
In his first feature as a director, Finnish filmmaker Alex Noyer just about pulls off a cross between a character study and a gory, supernatural horror movie - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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Looking for Venera (2021) |
Norika Sefa's feature debut uses a simple but effective plot to depict how teenage girls are currently growing up in Kosovar society - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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1970 (2021) |
Tomasz Wolski's latest documentary combines archive footage, phone conversations and stop-motion puppets to tell the story of one of the bloodiest protests in Polish history - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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The Last Shelter (2021) |
Ousmane Samassekou's CPH:DOX winner is a haunting and intense documentary about a refuge for migrants on their way to Europe or back from it. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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Life of Ivanna (2022) |
Set in the brutally inhospitable north of Siberia, among the Nenets people, it tells its story in an uncompromising way, resulting in a difficult and often troubling viewing experience. - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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Mau (2021) |
Mau is an accomplished, very audience-friendly biopic that is sure to get a lot of festival and streaming play - Cineuropa
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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My Unknown Soldier (2018) |
A complex film that invites repeat viewings. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Jan 04, 2021
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Until Porn Do Us Part (2018) |
A touching and often poignant observational film. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Jan 04, 2021
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My Grandpa Is an Alien (2019) |
It is an accomplished children's movie that parents will enjoy, too, with some of the jokes in the script working well beyond the primary target audience. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 23, 2020
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Everything Must Fall (2018) |
Like many popular movements, Fees Must Fall has displayed many shortcomings, but this movie proves that it was undeniably a crucial instrument of tumultuous social change. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 23, 2020
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Solo (2019) |
In addition to the emotional richness that the protagonist and the director's approach bring to the movie, its setting provides an impressive background to the film. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 11, 2020
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Mussolini's Sister (2018) |
Technically, it is quite creative within the limits that it imposes on itself. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Leftover Women (2019) |
It gets pretty hard to penetrate beyond the superficialities of the relationships presented on screen. However, Joelle Alexis' editing achieves a certain balance despite the unevenness of the different sequences. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Picture of His Life (2019) |
The quest itself is very exciting and suspenseful, and is best left for the audience to experience without any prior knowledge. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Run (2019) |
Maybe a more ambitious plot would have given the heroes more opportunities to show their human qualities and flaws, and the audience more to engage with. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Forman vs. Forman (2019) |
Třetíková and Hejna's biographical-political approach might seem overly convenient, but it is certainly close enough to home and perfectly adequate for a 78-minute biopic. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Roads (2019) |
By playing it by the book and ticking the right topical boxes in a conventionally structured story, Schipper misses the mark completely. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Acid (2019) |
Thanks to strong, confident performances by Avdeev and Kuznetsov, the main characters and their motivations feel convincing, even when they are not fully grounded in the script. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Maiden (2018) |
An immensely engaging, documentary. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Tremors (2019) |
A convincing, touching and, at certain points, infuriating depiction of what it means to be a gay man in a society dominated by a very traditional version of the Christian religion. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea (2019) |
The film has many plus points and features several impressive segments but, in the end, does not fully manage to wrap up its ambitious story. - Cineuropa
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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