The Promising Boy (1981)

A normal boy receives a blow to the head which sets him off to do rebellious acts.

Director:

Milos 'Misa' Radivojevic

Writers:

Nebojsa Pajkic, Milos 'Misa' Radivojevic

Stars:

Aleksandar Bercek, Dara Dzokic, Rade Markovic

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aleksandar Bercek	...	Slobodan Milosevic
Dara Dzokic	...	Masinka - Masa
Rade Markovic	...	Slobodanov otac
Dusica Zegarac	...	Slobodanova majka
Milena Zupancic	...	Masina majka
Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic	...	Masin otac
Gordana Gadzic	...	Ljubica, dobra pica
Branislav Lecic	...	Karatista
Slobodan Aligrudic	...	Psihijatar
Ivana Pejcic	...	Vesna
Tihomir Arsic	...	Inspektor
Éva Darlan	...	Svajcarkinja (as Eva Darlan)
Dusan Kojic	...	Pit
Pavle Bogatincevic	...	Profesor (as Paja Bogatincevic)
Milo Miranovic	...	Dezurni student (as Milorad Miranovic)

Storyline

Slobodan Milosevic is young promising guy. He is a solid student, obedient son and considerate boyfriend. But after his affair with one Swiss girl, all of that changes. When he told his girlfriend Masa about that affair she hits him in the head and he changes completely. He quarrels with his parents, runs away from home, has sex with different girls, even with Masa's mother, masturbates while driving the car, finds a way to express himself by playing rock'n'roll music and does similar anarchic stuffs. Masa thinks that another hit in the head would put the things back where they were, and when that happens and Slobodan starts acting normal again they plan a wedding. But in the middle of the wedding Slobodan hears that his friend from a band Pit had died and he, not knowing what else to do, goes bumping his head against the wall.

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | sex | pubic hair | oral sex | interrupted sex | 

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Taglines:

Zasto me svi udaraju u glavu? (Why people keep hitting me in the head?)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The main character shares the name of the former leader of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006. He was 40 years old when this film was released and was president of a major bank. He did not rise to prominence until first elected for a regional office in 1984 (3 years after the release of this film).

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Soundtracks

Perspektiva
written and performed by Paraf

User Reviews

What it means to be really free

The protagonist of this film is called Slobodan, which means free. I think that represents the main theme of this film-what does it mean and take to become really free? He is a promising medical student who seemingly lives a perfect life: he's a good son, a good boyfriend who has a good girlfriend and a good future. Then one day, it all changes when he gives a lift to a Swiss adventure-seeker named Clavis. He has sex with her and she calls him "the promising boy", which is the title of the film. Of course, it turns his world upside down and after receiving a bad blow to his head from his angry girlfriend (with an oar, of all things), he loses his mind-or you might say finds it.

He goes on a search for his real self, which leads him to cutting his hair and going to bed with several women, including his girlfriend's mother. He clashes violently with his authoritative father who doesn't accept his radical behavior and is then left to manage by himself. He meets a group of musicians through a girl he bedded, Pit and VD. They are played by two real-life famous musicians, who were then members of one of the best new wave bands from Serbia and Yugoslavia.

Anyway, this movie represents the individual's breakaway from the society's constraints, symbolized in Slobodan's free and uninhibited sex life and his musician lifestyle and new haircut as well. He even writes a song with homosexual undertones, despite not being a homosexual. He is out to shock and rebel against everything that is considered normal and acceptable. Ergo, he is free from every sort of norm. This is what this film explores, does it really make you free to break every rule of the society or does it just make you feel like an outcast. In the end Slobodan returns to his previous life, after a motorbike accident where he again receives a blow to the head. His lost weekend is now over and he returns to his girlfriend and his parents. The freedom experiment has now ended. Or so he thinks...

The cast is really top notch here, with Aleksandar Bercek delivering perhaps his strongest role ever. Rade Markovic is also excellent as his father and Branislav Lecic also appears in one of his first movie roles as his karate instructor friend. Slobodan Aligrudic, Dusica Zegarac and Bata Zivojinovic also appear. The soundtrack is excellent and features songs from all the best new wave bands of that time, which is another treat this movie has to offer. I think it's a forgotten classic of the Yugoslav cinema and I give it a 10.

Details

Country:

Yugoslavia

Language:

Serbian English French

Also Known As:

Dečko koji obećava

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avala Film, Decko Koji Obecava Film Production, Film Forty-First - Avala Film Working Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color