It is also a story about the sickest, most depraved dark corners of the underground porn industry. We're talking things that are illegal for a reason. But, you see, what first-time director/producer Srdjan Spasojevic set out to do was not make just a snuff or exploitation movie (which this most assuredly is). Oh no, his intent was to make a metaphor for Serbia itself.
That is why it's called "Serbian Film" and not, for example, "Snuff". All the sick depravity in it is supposed to represent the country, the society, the people of Serbia. In the words of reviewer Todd Brown, "This is a film meant to punish, not to entertain, and it succeeds absolutely. It is genuinely sickening and that is entirely the point."
"Serbian Film" is actually an anti-Serbian film.
Spasojevic, the director, doesn't deny his film is meant to be a metaphorical representation of Serbia. He claims that the film was entirely financed "privately, with donations and contributions from friends." Donations from whom? What sort of "friends"? This kind of money doesn't grow on trees, least of all in Serbia - where the only people with money are crooks and politicians (or is that redundant?). And oh yes, foreigners. Could it be that the "Serbian Film" was funded by the same people who fund Natasa Kandic, Sonja Biserko and other "NGO" vampires, whose only job for the past two decades has been to denigrate, defame and destroy everything Serbian? This is mere speculation on my part, mind you, but I would not be shocked if it ends up being true.
At least we know that Spasojevic didn't get a penny from the government; that's sort of surprising, given that official Belgrade shares his Serbophobia and automasochism. In fact, Spasojevic complains about the lack of official support, arguing that "This is a matter of culture, that represents Serbia in the world." (see interview in Serbian, here)
He has a point, in a way; a horrific, self-hating botched WW1 epic ("St. George Slays the Dragon") got copious government funding, even though its levels of Serb-hate and defamation are child's play compared to "Serbian Film". If one can't get paid for Serb-hating in today's Serbia, what can one get paid for?
That even the government is drawing the line at Spasojevic's magnum opus speaks volumes about its depravity.
The damage is already done, of course. Spasojevic's cinematic equivalent of "Piss Christ" is already touring the festivals in the US and elsewhere, "representing Serbia" to people already all to willing to see it as demonic, depraved and deserving of destruction. In the words of one reviewer,
Never again will you be able to hear or read the innocent phrase "a Serbian film" without a reflexive awakening of the searing images that Aleksandar Radivojevic (screenplay) and Srdjan Spasojevic (co-writer and director) have put on screen.
I just hope Spasojevic gets the reward he so richly deserves for this immense contribution to his nation's culture and history.
8 comments:
Remember in the 90s how you were thinking 'outside of the box' if you disliked the government, be it Democratic or Republican? Middle-class USA wasn't able to process that easily.
Is it me, or is this guy doing the same thing?
"Hey! Look! Serbia has problems!" Unlike it's neighbours which must not have any problems at all. Saying Serbia has problems is a clever thing to say?
Like the bipolar 90s USA mindset, I think we can stop attacking individual entities like countries, corps, etc... The problem here is clearly the system, not the outcome of that system.
A 'groundbreaking' film that just goes about saying "my/your country sucks," is not a novel idea. It is not a clever idea. But it's where the moviegoing audience seem to be; somewhere in between fart jokes and 'OMG both side of government suck!'
Oh I agree about the systematic nature of the problem. But I find it really hard to come up with any sort of excuse for this particular filmmaker. Others have done the "my country sucks" bit, with more or less success (Michael Moore is know for this, to mention an American example).
I am honestly at a loss to explain why of all the places on Earth (and there are some real bad hellholes out there) it is the "European" and "democratic" Serbia where one can find genuinely self-hating people who could even conceive of the notion to say, "my country is best represented by a snuff film featuring unspeakable horrors such as infant rape", and then make the said snuff film and proudly show it overseas.
In the movie powerful people force the main character to do horrible things against his will. The powerful people are a metaphor for the empire and the main character who is forced to do things against his will is a metaphor for Serbia...
A cameo from Penny Marshall would redeem the whole film no matter how disgusting.
The shovel being broken across the back of Serbia is the same one being used to slowly bury the United States. Since 1990 the former Yugoslavia has been the globalist's lab rat for destruction of the independent nation state. As and where the successive republics could not simply be bought off they have been subjected to every form of subversion and aggression; military, economic, political, academic and cultural. In both the US as well as Serbia the minions and muppets of George Soros and his sick fraternity have found that the perversion of civic and personal virtues with the aid of cheap traitors can succeed in destroying a nation where no number of bombs or sanctions could in years past. In spite of a comprehensive and punitive disadvantaged status imposed on the Nation's advancement, Serbia had, up to now no less managed enrich the world the unique vision of her prolific cinematic culture that has above all else, defended and illuminated the humanity of the Serbian people in a hypocritical world that would still dismiss an entire people as sadistic monsters. With the release of the pornographic garbage that is "Serbian Film" this last bastion of pride and also brutally honest self critique is forever tainted in it's context. And so as the further destruction and shame wrought on Serbian society and culture declares this experiment a success, be sure that we will see similar regressive efforts financed and mainstreamed in the United States as they eagerly redraw our also once proud free and sovereign nation as something not worth saving in the popular view of humanity.
Magnus, for some reason Blogger "ate" your comment, and it did not display on my dashboard until today.
Honestly, that sort of take of the film did not occur to me. But how readily apparent is it? How many people are likely to watch it and say "My God, those poor Serbs!" versus those who will say "Wow, those Serbs are animals of the worst kind, whatever happens to them is good riddance"?
Hi , Grey Falcon , i sent you my analysis of the movie 'A Serbian Film' . I urge you to take another look at the movie . Vukmir represents the EU/USA . You understand the situation in serbia better than me and might be able to decipher the other scenes in the movie that I didn't include. I have a rough idea but nothing too precise . You can avert your eyes at the actual moments of violence ; i look forward to your thoughts . Let me know if you can't post my analysis or something .
I received the review and was thinking of a way to post it without violating my policy of "no essay-length comments on ancient posts". I'm of a mind to post your review as a separate essay, and add my comments.
Also, what should I call you?
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