Review of A Serbian Film (2010) by Harry A — 31 Aug 2010

To say that this film is challenging viewing would be an understatement. Usually, the hype of 'extreme' films like this never matches up. In this case, it really does and the impact is tremendous.

It's shocking, disturbing, sick, numbing, soul destroying, depressing, and more. By the end, I was almost catatonic, overwhelmed by a huge mix of negative emotions that I felt unable to resolve. It achieves this impact by being a film of extreme ironies.

This is true across scenes, e.g. compare the opening and closing scenes, and emerging from the film as a whole, e.g. the sexuality in the film strips the viewer of their sex drive entirely. I found myself grateful that the special effects were not better to help remind me that what I was seeing was not real, at the same time knowing full well that real life horrors trounce this.

I found myself admiring the beautiful composition of some scenes, e.g. some are reminiscent of the Red Room in Twin Peaks, while simultaneously despising the horrific content of those scenes. The viewer is constantly engaged and disengaged; constantly pulled in and pushed away.

This is smart film making, it is by no means extreme per se, though I'm not convinced it's as allegorical as the director claims. Whatever those who choose to watch this movie will feel about it, one thing is certain: they will never forget it.