This is probably the most controversial film making its way around festival circuits. Banned in many countries and having trouble finding distribution in many others, A Serbian Film is a movie that pushes everyone to the limit and tests people to see what they can handle. I don’t think anyone knows what the fate of this film will be but within the next few months we’ll know if this one is allowed to make waves or fall back into the deep vaults of Serbia where no one will ever find it again. Basically, I don’t believe the film will be shown in any public American theater the way it is cut right now and editing will step on the filmmaker’s freedoms which is the big debate (or debacle) with this film.
So what’s all the hooplah about? A Serbian Film is a story about an ex porn-star named Milos who takes a fishy unknown job for a huge paycheck to support his wife and son. The job is to create another porn film but nothing like the ones he’s done before…this one is artistic and “real” done by true professionals. Unknown to Milos, the best porn star in Serbia, this porn isn’t a victimless endeavor…it’s all about the victims…and they come in all varieties and ages. Pretty much, the most awful things you can imagine are in this movie. Even the thing you don’t want to admit you’re thinking of.
You can’t just throw this film away for being disturbing and disgusting because it is actually well done. It is extreme horror to the max and has plenty of shock value. From the script to production, it’s a great film. But you can’t describe this film as great because of the subject matter. You can’t say you like this film because people will think you’re a twisted pervert. To me, the movie is unnecessary. There’s no point to it except to push buttons. A defense being used to support this film is to note that a lot of the fucked up sexual acts are based on actual Serbian sayings (think motherfucker) but still, what’s the point of visualizing them?
A lot of critics have said if you don’t think you want to see this movie, don’t. And many others state that even if you do want to see this movie, don’t. Honestly, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be based on all of the warnings. Maybe that’s because I grew up with the internet, seen a few videos which I probably shouldn’t, and my generation is desensitized. I didn’t have to turn away from the screen or throw up after (which people are doing). I just wondered to myself why they were showing this to me. You have an idea of what’s going to happen in the film as it progresses but I don’t think you ever think it’s going to actually happen…then it does. The story moves quickly down the rabbit hole but you never feel immersed enough where you get an uneasy feeling…you always know you’re watching a product of someone’s imagination.
In the end, I watched the movie which proves that people will watch just about anything. This is actually one of the messages in this film. As you watch the terrible sex acts that you wouldn’t describe to another soul, you think to yourself, “Who would watch that!?” Well, you are. Another aspect of A Serbian Film is to show how far one would go for their family. That what you would do to help your loved ones may actually just destroy them. Other key points to this film are artistic freedom, determining what is art, figuring out what the greater evil is, etc etc. In my opinion, however, you can depict all of these things and get your point across without exposing audiences to some of the most controversial images shown on the big screen. Where there’s shock and awe, I think A Serbian Film is just shock and uhhhh, really?
The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival is the premiere Pacific Northwest weekend long event devoted towards independent and international genre film making. The event was created to offer exposure to films that traditionally are overlooked by the festival circuit from genres including action, animation, fantasy, horror, and science fiction.Visit MIFFF’s Official Website
Tags: A Serbian Film, Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, MIFFF, Srpski Film
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
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