Optimisti (2006)

Director:

Goran Paskaljevic

Writers:

Goran Paskaljevic (writer)
Vladimir Paskaljevic (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 2006 (Serbia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Five scenarios in which people have trouble distinguishing truth from illusions. Each segment reflects the motto of Voltaire's Candide: "Optimism is insisting everything is good, when everything is bad." |

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Lazar Ristovski	...	Profesor Gavrilo / Simon / Pokojni Ratomir / Gazda Pera / Aleksa Pantic
Bojana Novakovic	...	Marina
Petar Bozovic	...	Inspektor
Tihomir Arsic	...	Pipovic
Nebojsa Glogovac	...	Dr Milo Petrovic
Nebojsa Milovanovic	...	Bolesni mladic
Slavko Stimac	...	Otac slepe devojke
Dragan Jovanovic	...	Golub
Mira Banjac	...	Baba kockarka
Viktor Savic	...	Ilija
Lazar Milosevic	...	Mali Dimitrije
Danica Ristovski	...	Simonova zena
Vladimir Jevtovic	...	Ilijin stric (as Vladimir Jeftovic)
Boro Stjepanovic	...	Nervozni covek
Aleksandra Pleskonjic

Also Known As:

Оптимисти (Serbia)
The Optimists (International: English title)

Runtime:

Canada:98 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Serbia

Language:

Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Company:

Nova Film

Not bad, not good

I started to watch Optimisti or The Optimists three days ago and I watched it twice.I watched it twice because one reason: I made another person to watch it to learn something from this movie. So the question is:what a heck are we learning from this movie?What is its message?Don't be optimist?What?!I have to say it is important if your name is Goran Paskaljevic.If this movie was made by another person, a débutant I don't think that many people would like this movie.I think is the time to tell you what is going on in Optimisti.Well, we are following 5 stories not connected by anything except actor Lazar Ristovski who is acting 5 different persons.First stories, strange hypnotiser is coming to a village where all houses are broken and ABSOLUTELY nothing is good.He is trying to make other people be happy and optimistic no matter of situation.In second story one cardiologist and his helper are coming to a village because a heart attack.They are coming to a farm of one rich man who is having a problematic child who wants to slaughter every animal he finds.He says that he is going to have heart attack if a doctor doesn't help his son.This story is better than the first one but still very not-clear and a bit...stupid?Third story is the worst.A young man is a gambler.He never gets anything but still he is doing his Black-Jack or whatever you call that.All males in his family were gambling.When his father dies who was a gambler, his uncle wants to bury him a way he deserves.Unfortnately young man doesn't want that.He wants his 2 thousand because he needs them for gambling to return 100.000.He meets an old lady who is always getting money on Black-Jack, Jack-Pot or whatever.He can't get it how old lady is getting money but he doesn't.When you watch full story you will ask yourself:what a hell does this has to do with optimism?Forth story is the best.Rich man is buying fishing store.He meets a daughter of one of his workers.He sexually abuses her once, but she somehow defence herself from him.Later she comes crying home and father gets the point what actually happened.He wants to kill a man, but even his brother doesn't want to help him because his brother is angry on him.He has to live with it no matter how angry is he.Fifth story is bit idiotic but not bad.A bus full of sick people with a singer who is raising their mood.Later singer is arrested and he is actually a stealer and he works for people who arrested him.He said to people that they will find curing place if they go 1 km more.A young man with a tumor is leading them to that place where everybody will be cured. You can't put this movie in place with bad Serbian movies.Altrough you can hardly put it with good Serbian movies.Also movie is happening in post-Milosevic's Serbia.I can't see that, hell no!OK, everybody are sick and sad but some people are still now!No ONE SING OR EVEN MENTIONING OF ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH MILOSEVIC!!!Any foreigner won't understand this movie.I think that even a guy from ex-Yugoslavia won't.