Serbski film

I don’t usually give the “Boo!” rating to formally well-made films with A-list actors. When this happens, it must be a film that undermines itself in some extreme manner and does everything to prevent me from perceiving it as anything else but garbage. Srpski film addresses similar topics as Joel Schumacher’s 8MM – human psychology under the destructive influence of extreme porn and breaking of the worst taboos. Unlike 8MM, which is a suspenseful psychological thriller, cautious in dealing with these sensitive topics, Srpski film relishes in delivering them in a straightforward and vulgarly self-serving fashion, proudly considering that to be its biggest strength. A masterpiece in cinematic materialization of social retardation. (02.01.2011)

There is no big controversy here, and no Balkan video to shock conservative viewers. Rather, the film is a cruel bore in the regime of a better amateur snuff film. In its desire to explicitly depict everything that involves the main character's dick, it actually brings about so much that, next to this, the French film Martyrs seems like an elaborate horror epic worthy of textbooks. There are three questions in my head: a) what is wrong with the director, b) what did the actors think during the filming, and c) what's the point? I don't have a satisfactory answer to any of those questions. It’s shit that is not even worthy of the increased attention it has received, let alone a better review. PS: The ending is a parody of itself, in the style of the bloody geysers of Peter Jackson's first films. For real. :-) (04.08.2010)

Snuff with a plot; snuff in the robes of ancient tragedy. Strong, well acted, escalates like little else, surprisingly completely non-amateurish, flawlessly crafted, but still I would never recommend it to anyone. Never. Just as I know for sure I'll never watch it again. Never. In essence it is completely unevaluable because every few minutes it oscillates along the entire assessment scale from genuine enthusiasm, to self-disgust, contempt for the filmmakers, to the declaration of war on Serbia... P.S.: This was beautifully put by Tim Anderson of “Bloody Disgusting": “You don’t want to see A Serbian Film. You just think you do." (25.07.2010)

Not in the end. The atmosphere, however, becomes increasingly intense on its own, rough scenes do not disturb despite occasional hyper-vomiting, and the actors perform their parts even in situations where I would certainly expect numerous moments of embarrassing overacting. And when the audiovisual form is entertaining and the unsettling mood begins to cautiously hint at a dark ending, then it happens. The final twenty-minute bloody frenzy where I expected catharsis, but only got an embarrassing self-parody. Spasojevic, like a little child, tears down the carefully constructed structure made of building blocks in an outburst of rage. Considering that Serbian Film is probably the only one of its kind in this form, it's actually quite a pity. (30.08.2012)

A Serbian Film should never be the first exploitation horror you watch in your life. Firstly, because you wouldn’t take it, and secondly, because it would be like beginning from the absolute top. Forget the amateurism, the tragic performances, the predictability and other attributes typical of the sub-genre (even for the best known and most revered representatives), A Serbian Film is on another level. In a professional package, it deliberately does what is expected: to utterly disgust the viewer. If there was a film where I’d say that anyone who enjoys it (i.e. watches it with a smile and says “this is cool”) is not entirely well, this is the one. Personally, I had an even more unpleasant feeling than with the recent The Human Centipede. The worst is the idea that if someone has thought of filming this, there’s also the possibility that someone will think of doing it. I’m giving it a full rating because this film works perfectly (maybe too much), but I can understand the whole range, even Boo!. In the scene where the insane director explains the new genre he’s come up with, I really thought of turning off the film, deleting it and forgetting about it. (19.07.2010)