It is a black comedy set in 1991, when Yugoslavia started disintegrating. An anti-war movie that brings together two people in a world gone crazy, it does a great job of creating an indelible impression of the craziness of the civil war. "Thats the beauty of civil war. You never know who is on whose side." The movie is about a colour blind truck enthusiast who cannot stop stealing trucks fro joy rides and cannot get a license due to his colour blindness, and about a pregnant junkie who on finding that she is pregnant decides to go to the beach to chill out. The film starts in true Tarantino style with two set of two gangsters - one set of truck drivers who are transporting guns hidden in their truck and another set of middlemen who are paying the truck drivers to transport the guns - killing each other simultaneously, ie, the truck drivers stab the middlemen and the middlemen stab the truck drivers at the same time. And they all die, leaving the truck, the merc and the money just lying around, forgotten by the dead. Our hero, who is just being released from jail, decides on another joy ride, which got him in jail in the first place, and steals the truck. Our heroine nearly gets hit by our hero and she blackmails him to take her to the beach. They come from completely different worlds and have completely different lives. She thinks him to a be bosnian peasant and for him, she is as alien as any another woman. As they travel through the war torn country, sharing the experience of truck driving and pot smoking, they grow closer and .... Screwball comedy has always been popular but this is not just screwball comedy but with a deep, cynical statement about the world around us. For example, there is a scene in the movie where the girl rolls up a joint and convinces the hero to try it with this dialogue, "alcohol, marijuana are the light drugs. Politics, news, war-mongering, communism, democracy, etc are the hard drugs" and I was like, "this guy (the director) knows his s***". After they smoke up, they dance to some light music, oblivious to the world around them that is under war and burning. "I see great balls of fire, like burning haystacks." Wonderful, wonderful! The director also puts in touches of irony. for example, she wants to pee and he tells to go behind a bush, to which she retorts," I am not one of your peasant girls. Take me to a loo." But the loo they stop at is so dirty that it would have been far more hygenic and cleaner to have gone behind a bush! The director tries to undermine the notion that civilization has brought better things for human beings when it is really that people think that civilization has brought better things. I would not call it a revolutionary movie but it is a very good example of how cinema can be used to point out the inanities of the world and critique the privileging of the "civilized" world. If I ever make a movie, it will be something like this one...
5 Reviews
An entertaining story about love in the scenery of the first day of Civil war in ex-Yugoslavia
srce30 January 2004
I had the honor to see this movie on the screening for friends and colleagues before the actual premiere. Although I am not a fan of this kind of movies so typical for our production (movies like `Lepa sela lepo gore', `Rane' and Kusturica's movies) I liked it very much. It must be because it is mainly a love story and the scenery is the first day (June 1991.) of the civil war in ex Yugoslavia. The main character is Ratko (played by Srdjan Todorovic), an ex con, from some Bosnian `never go there' place. His most important characteristic is that he is a daltonist, whish gives him, in a symbolic way, ability to see things differently then `majority around him' (that is also an explanation of the movie title). On the beginning of the movie Ratko will meet a city girl (played by Slovenian actress Aleksandra Balmazovic), who is totally different person then him. On their strange voyage they will fall in love with each other and find the way to beat all differences.
My compliments to all the crew led by Srdjan Zika Todorovic. Bogdan Diklic is phenomenal as always in a great episode role. The director Srdjan Koljevic is better known for his screenplays for movies: `Strsljen', `Kazi zasto me ostavi', `Ubistvo sa predumisljajem', `Normalni ljudi', `Nebeska udica', `Natasa'. This is his first time to be in the director's seat. Director of photography Goran Volarevic is also a debutant. My compliments to both of them.
My compliments to all the crew led by Srdjan Zika Todorovic. Bogdan Diklic is phenomenal as always in a great episode role. The director Srdjan Koljevic is better known for his screenplays for movies: `Strsljen', `Kazi zasto me ostavi', `Ubistvo sa predumisljajem', `Normalni ljudi', `Nebeska udica', `Natasa'. This is his first time to be in the director's seat. Director of photography Goran Volarevic is also a debutant. My compliments to both of them.
Contrast between the external chaos and calm simplicity.
svenbremberg10 March 2020
The main theme is the contrast between the unemotional stiff male Ratko and the brisk expressive Suzana. It is true that the unorganised setting have references to the Balkan filmmaker Kusturica. Yet in my understanding Ratko is modelled on the roles in films by the Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. The use of elementary colours are important for both Koljevic and Kaurismäki, e.g. in this film, the bright red truck. There is a contrast between a chaotic situation (war, ex con, stolen truck) on one hand and at the other hand Ratko's unemotional attitude and the elementary colours. In a way the contrast between Suzana and Ratko corresponds to the contrast between the external chaos and Ratko's simplicity. Ratkos calm comes from within himself and not from the exterior situation. In the film there is some action that is provided by the truck odyssey. Yet, the film is a still life picture since no real changes take place.
Refreshing and Bitter-sweet funny
igor_setinc15 November 2004
The director (and writer) of this movie was clearly influenced by a great director Emir Kusutrica when making this great road movie. Again like in so many similar movies (that have a sub-story of collapsing Yugoslavia) the bitter-sweet humor that has been associated with Serbian mentality is what drives this movie forward and makes it a very enjoyable affair. It is obvious that the main actors have made a great effort in preparation and execution of their roles so the Slovenian actress (Aleksandra Balmazovic) is totally believable as a genuine Beograd born lost generation city girl and Srjdan Tododrovic as a naive faith driven Bosnian Serb.
Like Kustorica S. Koljevic uses magic realism to tell this story but unfortunately uses it in some places to cover for normal character development, this goes especially for Aleksandras character who falls in love with Ratko on a very thin basis (Stockholm syndrome? or maybe the python?). Ratko's idealism is much more believable and thus his utter love for Suzana.
Even though there are many similar movies in Serbian cinematography this one is still very refreshing in a sense that it is just a bit more optimistic than usual: there can be true love in terrible situation and also one can break the restraints of his/hers background and even a morbid looking faith (the war that is coming like a thundercloud) if he/she is just enough perseverance.
In any case it is a great movie, a very successful debut for Director and Art Director, with great acting (especially Srdjan Todorovic) and a story that entertains you and at the same time has something more to say... if you listen.
Like Kustorica S. Koljevic uses magic realism to tell this story but unfortunately uses it in some places to cover for normal character development, this goes especially for Aleksandras character who falls in love with Ratko on a very thin basis (Stockholm syndrome? or maybe the python?). Ratko's idealism is much more believable and thus his utter love for Suzana.
Even though there are many similar movies in Serbian cinematography this one is still very refreshing in a sense that it is just a bit more optimistic than usual: there can be true love in terrible situation and also one can break the restraints of his/hers background and even a morbid looking faith (the war that is coming like a thundercloud) if he/she is just enough perseverance.
In any case it is a great movie, a very successful debut for Director and Art Director, with great acting (especially Srdjan Todorovic) and a story that entertains you and at the same time has something more to say... if you listen.
Hats off to srdjan todorovic.
sciss0rhands4 October 2005
First off i expected this movie to be really bad...since the beginning of the movie is kind of cheesy ( all stab each other at same time) typical balkan comedy.
Srdjan todorovic plays RATKO a naive bosnian who gets out of jail for, after he gets out he does the same thing that got him in jail stealing trucks ( his obsession with Mercedes is a typical bosnian thing where i am from which adds humor to the movie) he steals a red Mercedes Benz truck. on his way to nowhere he meets the girl off his dream together they embark on the adventure across Bosnia. meeting soldiers, thugs, common folk. they movie is filled with humor and srdjan todorovic does a great job playing ratko the naive bosnian.
10-10 no doubt!
Srdjan todorovic plays RATKO a naive bosnian who gets out of jail for, after he gets out he does the same thing that got him in jail stealing trucks ( his obsession with Mercedes is a typical bosnian thing where i am from which adds humor to the movie) he steals a red Mercedes Benz truck. on his way to nowhere he meets the girl off his dream together they embark on the adventure across Bosnia. meeting soldiers, thugs, common folk. they movie is filled with humor and srdjan todorovic does a great job playing ratko the naive bosnian.
10-10 no doubt!
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