Review of A Serbian Film (2010) by Screen J — 23 Sep 2011

I usually watch films in intervals, but this one, I could not stop or look away until the end credits. "A Serbian Film" is compelling to the point of obsession. Surprisingly, it has prime art direction and the acting is above par and atypical for this genre of film. It pushes taboo to the limit and made me pump my fist in appreciation for the sheer sense of gall it took for the director to risk including some of the content. Though it lives up to it's controversy, it really isn't as brutal to the extent that people say. A lot of the horror is actually implied and allows your mind to fill in the blanks (I guess that's what makes it impressive--you literally feel as if you've seen more than you actually have). The shock content is pretty much void until the last half an hour, and in total, there are only about 4 short scenes of this nature. Realistically, you could simply fast forward those scenes and still have a really solid film for horror fiends.

Essentially, no, this film is certainly not safe for (most) life. But that's part of the fun...