A Serbian Film (2010)
Review by Jude Felton
A Serbian Film is one of those strange beasts that come along every so often that manage to get a buzz going long before anyone has seen it. The buzz itself not necessarily being positive, but it has to be one of the most talked about films of the year or even recent years. I’ve read countless online comments about it, it really has stirred the pot. This is all down, of course, to the graphic nature of the film, one that delves into a seedy world of extreme sex and violence.
A Serbian Film is a whimsical little tale about Milos, a retired legend of a porn star, who is finding times tough and is struglling to support his wife and child. He’s tired of the porn industry yet he can’t deny the lure of the money that it brings in. So, when a former colleague calls him telling him that she has a some potentially good, and lucrative, news for him he can’t but help to find himself intrigued.
Upon meeting up with her she tells him about a character named Vukmir who wants to hire Milos due to his reputation in the porn world. Hesistant at first as whether or not to meet up with Vukmir he eventually gives in.
Milos meeting does not really clear up much for him as Vukmir is very vague about what he wants, instead he spouts off about making porn an art rather than the trash it is commonly viewed as. It is only after Milos accepts the job and turns up for the first “shoot” that he realizes that this will not be just another film. It is now that the film truly descends down to another level in terms of sexual violence and depravity. Yes this film does hurt to watch in places of that you can be sure.
There is also a side plot to the main story which introduces us to Milos brother Marko who is a cop. The fact that he is a cop is really secondary in the story to the main fact that he is obsessed with Milos’ wife, a fact that becomes far more apparent later on in the movie. However, his role does add a further punch to the movie’s overall power of that you can be assured.
However you view A Serbian Film, whether it be pure exploitation or maybe something deeper, I prefer to just see it as a horror movie, it can’t be denied that on a technical level it is quite impressive. It is not a cheap looking shocking and the acting for the most part is spot on, I did think that the actor playing Vukmir hams it up just a little too much taking into context the dark nature of the film. On top of that this movie has a cracking soundtrack that thumps along in all its industrial beauty helping drive the movie along.
There are scenes of questionable taste herein, many of them to tell the truth, but it is a horror film and I am sure it will horrify many that view it. But here lies what some seem to be unable to grasp, it is a movie and you always have the choice as to whether or not you want to watch it. A Serbian Film certainly isn’t the sort of movie that I would usually recommend people rush out and watch as soon as they can, it really isn’t that sort of movie. Martyrs (review) is a fantastic movie, but I am in no real rush to watch it again as it is so bleak. A Serbian Film is far bleaker and does push the boundaries in terms of what happens on the screen. If this movie sees an uncut release on DVD or Blu-ray I will be incredibly surprised.
Technically A Serbian Film is very good and I am sure it will continue to be the source of many heated discussions for quite some time yet. That all being said I will just leave it up the the individual to decide as to whether they choose to watch it or not. This really isn’t the kind of movie that warrants recommendations either way. Chances are that if you think it might offend you it probably will.
A Serbian Film is nasty, very nasty and all it wants to do is bludgeon you around the head, and rest assured it will. This will definitely stick in your mind for a long time after watching it, if you choose to.
Watch the trailer (very NSFW):
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 9:00 am | Filed under Horror Reviews.
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