The Trap

Another exhibition, that you don't need big bucks or have to shoot your movie in another country, if yours isn't financially wealthy ... Klopka (The Trap as it is called internationally) is a fine example of good Serbian cinema.

If the definition of "film noir" is indeed "low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical characters" (as indicated in an urban dictionary), than this hits the mark! (maybe the cynical part isn't exactly on the spot or let's say Bogart-like, but other than that, you got yourself a winner here). The good thing about this description is, that this should be enough for you to judge, if you want to see the movie or not! :o)

wow! just watched "the trap" or "klopka" which is the Serbian title for this film & i hope that it is eligible for next year's academy award for foreign language category. i was riveted from beginning to end by the story which really makes you think of the value of human life & what we are all worth in this world. at one point a character even mentions 911 & the way in which the u.s. government placed different monetary values on people depending on how much money the made when they were alive & working. the acting is superb throughout from the mother & father to the kid who is the main character of the story. this is definitely a movie for people who like to think & feel real human emotion; and not for anyone looking for car chases & mindless entertainment. please see this great film.

The movie is very heavy,but also the very truth.Couple with ordinary jobs need money for the surgery,but in the land of transition that is a lot of money.What would You do if you was in that situation? Humanity in us told us that we should do anything for lives of our families!The pain of life when we are in problems,the way of thinking when you end up in the corner without way out!!! I would recommend this movie to all people,so they can see how life can change in a part of a second!One second you are very happy,next one you rushing for money to stop the misery.Now a days that is a awfully truth in the countries on "The Balkan" (Serbia,Montenegro,Bosnia,Croatia,Macedonia)!!

This is yet,another tale of parental love & what they will do for the lives of their children. A 30 something couple finds out that their young son is suffering from a heart condition, and the only place that they can bring him for the surgery that can save his life is in Germany. The hitch:the price tag (we're talking thousands & thousands of Euros). The Mother puts an advert in the local newspaper that they need money for the operation. The hope comes in the form of a stranger who will give them the thirty thousand Euros they need,but with a price. The father must assassinate somebody. What follows is a taut, intense morality play with a twist. This is European film making at it's best. No MPAA rating here, but serves up lots of foul language & some violence (although nothing too gory for those with weak stomachs)

Every serious moviegoer enters each theater with the hope that this film will be that little gem that one can expect at most once a year (and some years it doesn't happen at all). This film is that little jewel; I was lucky enough to see it at its premier in the Berlinale. It asks the question, "what is a good man"? Can a man be good in some parts of his life and not at all good in others? In life, who becomes the ultimate arbiter of goodness? The film also introduces an interesting tension around traditional gender roles -- the husband/father expected to be the provider -- even while portraying seemingly modern women. This tension is an important driving force, in addition to the difficult challenge facing the main character. The resulting violence that occurs is at once completely believable and yet shocking; seemingly ancillary to the main plot is one scene of senseless violence against a street child that is quite breath-taking. There is a great symmetry to this movie, centering around a particular street corner on which that child hustles as a window-washer. We return to this place again and again, at different times and in different psychological states. Overall this film is masterfully crafted and acted with complex layers and much to reflect upon. I recommend it in the highest terms.