I recently saw this at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. This is the second feature film from director Srdan Vuletic who won critical acclaim with his 2003 film Ljeto V Zlatnoj Dolini (Summer in the Golden Valley.) Vuletic hits another home run his second time out and this film is Bosnia & Herzegovina's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film to the Academy Awards. This is a dark drama set in Sarajevo but also sprinkled with plenty of comic relief. From a screenplay by Vuletec and Miroslav Mandic this is the story of Fudo (Sasa Petrovic), a Sarajevo taxi driver married to a beautician named Azra (Daria Lorenci) and raising a young son. Fudo is in debt to a hoodlum named Sejo (Emir Hadzihafizbegovic) who deals in the black market by fencing stolen goods, financing robberies and running drugs. With his marriage breaking up due to his underworld dealings, Fudo decides to go straight and reasons that if he goes into debt with Sejo one last time he can purchase a new mini van taxi, get quality cab fare because of his upgrade, pay off Sejo and win Azra's love back. Of course, and thus the title, he find's it's hard to be nice. Petrovic is superb in the lead role with excellent support from Hadzihafizbegovic. Cinematography by Slobodan Trninic. Music by Sasa Losic and Srdan Krupjel. This is a good film and I would recommend it and give it an 8.0 out of 10.
