A Serbian Film (2010)

Starring:             Srdjan Todorovic, Sergei Trifunovic & Jelena Gavrilovic
Directed By:       Srdjan Spasojevic
Written By:         Aleksander Radivojevic & Srdjan Spasojevic
MyRating:         ✯(.5)
Own Worthy?   No

TAKE NOTE:
a.  Contains subtitles, throughout;
b.  I would not recommend this movie to all viewers;
c.  Contains aroused nudity, violence & various acts of child abuse.

This movie follows an has-been porn star, once famous for his stamina.
Enjoying his semi-retirement, it’s clear that being “in the industry” has not sullied his love for his family.  The main character is very much in love with his wife and they share their life with a young son.

The main character, Milos (Todorovic), is offered a chance to do one last porno-flick for a mind-numbing amount of cash.  The appeal for this is easy to determine when, early in the movie, money trouble is an obvious underlying theme for the family whose savings are dwindling.

Milos, though he asks numerous times, is not to be told exactly what his role is in this movie.  Instead, directions are transmitted to him via a tiny earpiece; he must follow these instructions in order to not violate his contract for the making of this final porno.
What he doesn’t know is that its not conventional sex; the acts to follow are anything but conventional.

Much of the movie is background information and character development; the remainder (and where much of the action takes place) is in Milos trying to remember what happened “the night before”.

This movie pushes the limits on mainstream for a few reasons.  First, it explores genres of the underground porn industry (fictitious or not) that are absolutely taboo, and quite frankly, I found them downright appalling.   An additional reason why this film pushes the limits is because it is reminiscent of pornography; there is a lot of sex and aroused nudity in which various parts of anatomy are exposed.  Lastly, and to add to an already mentioned feeling of being appalled, mix in a hearty handful of absolute disgust because this movie mixes in a theme of pedophilia which shocked me.

The characters were portrayed nicely; the family bond between everyone was realistic and effective.  I think that the family theme is very strong, throughout.  From interactions shared, to the reasoning for Milos accepting this last job, family is supposed to be a theme of which note is taken.  It’s because of this theme that one is forced to really become overwhelmed by the ending (which I will not spoil).

The gore, itself, wasn’t overdone; the blood looked real and the dirtiness of the film, in this regard, was effective.  There is a birthing scene, however, in which all women will shake their heads—it’s a bit laughable, to be quite honest.  Its simply not very realistic; however, immediately following the birthing scene is another few moments which were 1 of 2 absolutely disgusting scenes.  It was poorly depicted, but this isn’t a scene that needs to be depicted well… the mere idea will disgust without realism.

My final point of discussion on this film is two questions that I’m left with difficulty in answering, “Is it a horror movie” and “Is it a good movie”?
Ultimately, there is murder, scandal, terror, fear, disgust, and all sorts of other things that are mainstream horror movie basic ingredients.
The emphasis on sex and the presence of commonly taboo (and illegal) activities for American culture, leads me to say that it’s otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s graphic and it’s violent.  You do feel your heart race with fear for what unknown hell Milos has signed up for, but it doesn’t leave you wondering what that noise was outside.  There is no boogey man antagonist that could possibly target you next.  That, for me, is a necessary ingredient in a horror film.
If anything, I would say that this movie would be better suited to be called “Torture Porn”, and I’m not using Porn as a classification because of the sex.  I’m using it in it’s intended meaning with this newer genre of films being produced.  Torture Porn is the interest in seeing and/or witnessing the suffering of victims caused by physical pain.  The Saw franchise, as well as Hostel, are loosely considered Torture Porn.

So, what is a good movie?
Honestly, I don’t personally think that it was.
This movie is a quasi-Fuck You towards the feelings of Serbia today.
This movie seems to shove shock-and-awe in your face for the purpose of shock-and-awe.  I don’t find the storyline to be riveting or even interesting.  In fact, If I was told that I wasn’t permitted to see the ending, I could have walked away and not gave a damn.

My final word on this movie is whether or not to recommend it.
This is not a movie in which I would recommend that all serious horror fans go out, purchase it, and make it a permanent fixture on the shelves of their horror movie collection.
I wouldn’t say that just anyone should watch this film.
I would say that if you’re not offended by aroused nudity and the idea of those unconventional, sexual topics mentioned earlier doesn’t send you running, then it’s worth viewing once; be warned, this one is quite twisted and not for the faint of heart.
I truly suspect that this movie, someday, will not be available for legal distribution in the US;  Spain is already working towards banning it for child pornography allegations.

SPOILER:  The last line in the movie is absolutely chilling; the director incorporates that hopeless, “it doesn’t end here” feeling.