Cult stumbles upon another 'Nasty'
A Serbian Film (2010)
Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Released on June 11th 2010 in Serbia and later in the same year elsewhere, this film came out to very mixed reviews. Dubbed by many as being exploitative trash in the vein of Jorg Buttgereit (director of both Necromantik movies) and Ruggero Deodata (the driving force behind Cannibal Holocaust) and others as being nothing more than disgusting, vile and unwatchable (among other descriptive phrases most including, but not limited to, derogatory terms and curse words aplenty). This film immediately rose to worldwide notoriety for its unflinching scenes depicting rape, necrophilia, killing and brutal sex (including scenes with children, even a newborn) it goes without mentioning that it remains on the banned list in more than a handful of countries.
In a number of others aSF has found release but only after being graced with a record -breaking number of cuts. In order for the film to see a festival showing release in Britain it boasted a total of forty–nine cuts all of which accumulated to total a whooping four minutes and eleven seconds. To this day in several countries classification boards have refused to grace it with a certification, Australia is one citing ... ”A Serbian Film could not be accomodated within the R18+ classification as the level of depictions of child sexual abuse in the film has an impact which is very high and not justified by context...” New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore are among several that have outright refused the film in any way shape or form to appear in any household in the country. So what's all the hubbub about? Why does this film still instill fear and loathing (no pun intended) throughout classification boards and with censors the world over? Does A Serbian Film, like many infamous and controversial films before it, suffer from low production values? An absence of a cohesive storyline? Is it a film produced solely to catapult the director to heights where only a handful have been before? Or is it a movie made purely for shock's sake alone?
There's only one way to find out. Recently I managed somehow locate a copy that cost me 'a pretty penny' one that's free from the handiwork of any censor's sharpened shears. A 'Festival copy' or so the online advertisement would have me believe. This is the release that vividly displays a yellow 'X' in the bottom right hand corner whenever censors became nervous enough to break out their scissors or any other editing device of their choosing. *After some research I found that this copy is in fact the festival version, sans four minutes and eleven seconds, it appears I still have a little more internet searching to do and a further acquisition to make. Films full of shock and distasteful moments that spit in the face of Political Correctness are my “drug” of choice. Sure it's not as admirable as collecting stamps, buying plots of land, healing the sick or saving pit bulls from the whims of certain NFL players (who shall remain nameless for legal reasons) but it's my particular thing.
On another note I believe, to my very core, that censorship is wrong (in any way shape or form). The sharpened shears of those that still deem us as only governable children are sadly a factor more than prevalent and apparent in today's society. Seriously, do we still need babysitting and told what is right and wrong for the consumption of our senses? If you don't like something hit the stop button on the remote, turn the radio off or look away and avoid that which you don't appreciate but always respect the right(s) of the artist to produce such content, as supposedly this is the 'land of the free' where individuals should be afforded the freedom to express as long, of course, that it doesn't hurt/harm anyone in the process. Arguments exist that works of this medium and manner do harm, to which I retort whatever happened to responsibility for your own actions, why is it that others can be blamed for something that another does. The battle rages on. Enough with my waffling diatribe and on with the film in question.
Note of Warning: Many may want to steer clear of this film because of the above stated and obvious reasons, I more than understand and will not hold it against anyone if they wish to discontinue reading at this point. This is a very 'rough' film folks believe me as I've seen my share.
For those of you that still remain... Let's dive in shall we.
For those of you that still remain... Let's dive in shall we.
Milos is getting older, his former lucrative adult film career appears to be slipping from his grasp though he is able to spend more time with his family (consisting of a young beautiful wife and a five year old son). He still appears to yearn for the stardom that is rapidly slipping away. Two contributing factors don't help his current condition, his daily consumption of alcohol and the dwindling meager funds he has left to raise and support said family. In several of the film's early scenes we catch glimpses of Milos (or 'Milosh' as a VHS tape's cover states) in action, once when he is reminiscing, drink in hand, and another time when his curious son finds the very same tape left within arm's reach in the living room. What follows are a couple of scenes, touching family/father son moments that are very relatable, that separate this from your run-of-the-mill 'Nasty'. Milos (Srdjan Todorovic) and his wife take the time to explain, when asked by the youth, why when watching said film certain strange feelings start to occur.
As the film progresses a former 'co-worker' of Milo's is introduced in a relaxed luncheon environment. She has an artistic friend she would like him to meet who has an offer of some lucrative, albeit a tad experimental, work in the same vein as he was accustomed to but given the label 'artistic pornography' produced for a wealthy foreign market. Coincidentally Milo's brother, Marko, turns up also. A police officer who appears to have quite the thing for his brother's companion and yet further sordid yearnings I will embellish upon a little later. Decisions, decisions, decisions. The lure of much needed money overrides any concerns Milos has and he accepts, only then to sit and ponder upon the lengthy binding contract that contains a number of details in the film's production he is still rather leery about. After much internal debate he signs. In the weeks that follow Milos begins a rigorous regiment of exercise for both his mind and body in order to prepare.
Milos finds himself with an earbud upon the first day of shooting and is instructed to follow the director's lead. He does so without protest soon finding himself in an abandoned children's orphanage. After a dramatic exchange of words he is pulled into a room with his pants promptly pulled down around his ankles. To quote from a Tarantino movie and a scene starring Bruce Willis 'oral pleasures' (that’s Pulp Fiction which you should have seen a 1000x or you suck!) occur accompanied by projected images (upon the facing wall) of an underage female playing with her hair and slowly devouring a Popsicle. The receiver of said attention thinks this rather odd but nevertheless carries on to completion with gusto, after all this is his first scene and return to what he was known best for. This is incidentally the first of many scenes in the film deemed worthy of a yellow X.
Returning home Milos discusses his concerns with his partner. Eventually agreeing with his wife, Milos returns to the set though doubts continue to persist, so he calls his brother for assistance in finding out more of the director's history and his previous works. His brother more than happily agrees to partake in the research though has other things in the forefront of his mind. In a scene involving a lady of the night, a video showing Milo and his wife having a party for his son and a 'floundering performance' he is depicted as being more than a sleazebag in a position of power. The level of deviancy progresses steadily in the film's production and yellow X's pop up more (in the final hour) than wads of used tissue in an all boy's school upon discovery that their biology teacher is a amply proportioned young teacher of the female variety.
When prompted (through fervent directorial urgings in his earpiece) Milos concerns arise yet again when he is asked to strike a performer, it is only after his genitalia is in a firm grasp within the abused actress’s mouth that he does so, primarily because of that fact, through abject frustration. Only then does he see that there is also a child bearing witness to everything in the same room barely a couple of feet away. Following this Milos confronts Vukmir (the director) with threats to withdraw from the production no matter the exorbitant salary he's being paid for his 'part'. He retorts with his views on art, the state of the union, its people and the reasoning behind his art, hailing it as ...”the backbone of the economy.” (incidently a little like the views of A Serbian Film's director if you wish to stick around after viewing for his vision, reasoning and explanation of this creation and its impact all found in the special features).
Vukmir even goes so far as to show Milos his masterpiece,”the power of a real victim”, a scene comprised of a truly shocking couple minutes (that is not possible to unsee no matter the amount of scouring compound you might utilize to scrub your eyes) made more damaging to the psyche by the fact that another person in the scene is seen smiling in admiration especially after the ordeal she struggled through only moments earlier. Strangely this particular scene (doused in X's) reminds me of a few found in a David Cronenberg classic Videodrome that are also stark, unflinching and brutally unpolished but brilliant in their ability to shock the viewer to the very core. There is only one other scene that manages to top even this, though there are a few others that come very close, towards the film's finale it depicts acts that any respectable parent will hate to view, wish they hadn't and will only make them want to hug their family more often because of it.
The film's finale revolves around Milo covered in blood waking from a three day blackout. Managing to slowly interpret the past 72 hours, at best a hazy montage of images, voices and unfathomably gruesome events in which he plays a major part. He quickly realizes his life and that of his family can and never will be the same. But just when you thought the film's brutality was at an unattainable peak and the movie was finished, there arrives the last scene. One to prove that any act can be outdone and that people at no matter the cost or ramification can always stoop to new levels of depravity and darkness and all in the name of a dollar because as Vukmir so eloquently states, “victims sell” because they, “feel the most and suffer the best.”
With all the above in mind this would admittedly be a very easy film to hate. I could so easily, if only it wasn't for the crisp production value, well thought out storyline, quality directing and the actors’ ability to make the story believable and all the more vivid and relatable. The viewer must at all times bear in mind that this is still only a movie with special effects, a soundtrack, editing and orchestrated scenes correlated in such a way as to make a point, titillate and shock. I'm not sure I can totally relate to the director's reasoning though I can to a point understand where he is coming from. In reference to one scene, you’ll immediately understand which one upon viewing, he states, ”the people (of Serbia) are raped from birth up until the moment they die” and that people are exploited to do whatever they need to do in order to survive. Both points are relatable to most people, of course, though have been covered in other movies in a variety of different ways albeit toned down about 1000%.
Srdjan Todorovic does an outstanding job as a man driven to the point of having to decide between morals and money to support his household. To make matters worse he is coerced into becoming a lust fueled beast driven by nothing more than the primal desire to sate his own base urges at the prompting of a director who will stop at nothing to produce what he deems the most supreme piece d'art, showcasing the plight and suffering of the victim.Todorovic's portrayal is a powerful performance that many actors would steer clear of. I can only imagine the thoughts that might have run through the his head whilst filming, as a viewer a multitude of emotions ran through mine. A veritable smorgasbord running the gamut from empathy, disgust, loathing, frustration, hopelessness and many others in between.
Also worthy of note is that all of the actors excelled in their performances, at no point did I get pulled out of the movie by a bad performance even the actresses’ appearing alongside Milos (both in his older roles and his most recent) appeared comfortable as co-stars in the XXX arena. Vukmir (Vukmir is his first and also his last name) is a very credible realization of an artist pushing the borders of bad taste to the absolute limit, crashing headlong into a mountain range marked political correctness and dashing blindly down the path leading to absolute madness.
This is a film of horror, albeit unmistakably pornographic in nature (bordering on the 'harder' side of soft-core), that's absent of zombies, flesh eating beasts or creatures that crawl from the depths of the sea. It portrays the worst that our very own race has to offer, the darkest depths of the human mind and the despicable means used to garner a very niche audience with the demands and funds to pay for much more than what the rest of the world has to offer or can even dream exists in their most horrific nightmare.
This is a film of horror, albeit unmistakably pornographic in nature (bordering on the 'harder' side of soft-core), that's absent of zombies, flesh eating beasts or creatures that crawl from the depths of the sea. It portrays the worst that our very own race has to offer, the darkest depths of the human mind and the despicable means used to garner a very niche audience with the demands and funds to pay for much more than what the rest of the world has to offer or can even dream exists in their most horrific nightmare.
For anyone that enjoys celluloid of the most extreme variety this is, IMO, a MUST SEE. Shocking, visceral, powerful and unflinching this is a landmark piece of cinema that will no doubt be imitated in the many years that follow and will most definitely be talked about for years, perhaps decades to come.
Afterword.
I've seen and reviewed the version that's been garnished with over four minutes of cuts and I can honestly say it left me feeling dirty & sleazy but I'm still rather ashamed to admit that I enjoyed it immensely and still there's more to see! A whooping two hundred and fifty-one seconds!!! However, I honestly feel that the censors have been more than generous to allow the grisly tableaus, scenes and set pieces that I've witnessed in this version to be released. I never thought I would state anything even close to that, ever! This version is shocking to say the very least but like a true obsessed collector I need to see the rest, the 'cut' parts, that is what’s missing. If only to sate my own curiosity and, it goes without saying, for the sake of Thy Demons Be Scribblin. Stay sick my friends. - Cult
I've seen and reviewed the version that's been garnished with over four minutes of cuts and I can honestly say it left me feeling dirty & sleazy but I'm still rather ashamed to admit that I enjoyed it immensely and still there's more to see! A whooping two hundred and fifty-one seconds!!! However, I honestly feel that the censors have been more than generous to allow the grisly tableaus, scenes and set pieces that I've witnessed in this version to be released. I never thought I would state anything even close to that, ever! This version is shocking to say the very least but like a true obsessed collector I need to see the rest, the 'cut' parts, that is what’s missing. If only to sate my own curiosity and, it goes without saying, for the sake of Thy Demons Be Scribblin. Stay sick my friends. - Cult
What do you think of this modern day "Video Nasty" Scribbler fans? Too Extreme? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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