Der Schein trügt

Long after the credits roll, you'll be questioning the ending and mulling over the tough, important themes. One of the most interesting move I've seen in 2021.

The movie was not quite what I've expected, but the good things is - it exceeded my expectations. Very good portrayal of living in Balkans and its value system.

Very unpleasant and disturbing movie, unlike popular Netflix titles, however with a clear message for a need of moral and ethical revolution. Movie that is hard to understand, not because visual experience, but because ignorance of inner calls.

The movie is strongly related to the emotional human behavior and character of the typical Balkan man. There is a high probability that you will find it incomprehensible or worthless if you do not know the specific issues that it affects and unfolds in its story.

In an extremely professional way, the team has managed to capture the Balkan syndrome of the man who fights evil and gradually becomes part of it. The big contribution of the movie for me personally is the fact that people are getting weaker and times are getting more complicated. People are not equipped to come into life to deal with it. They are like a prepared sacrificial lamb.

In the Balkans, man confronts political regimes, faith, family, stereotypes and only then thinks about personal development. The film touches on this emotional intelligence and intergenerational connection that is often erased.

It is interesting how structurally the movie is solved like Dante's "Inferno" - it is divided into three parts, and the main character undergoes the biggest twist in the plot just like Macbeth - influenced by his wife, in Shakespeare's play of the same name. The movie is a symbiosis between fiction and domestic drama, and the acting is beyond brilliant. Maybe there is a happy ending in this situation, judge for yourself.

Knowing the complete oeuvre of Srdjan Dragojevic's filmography, this movie sadly lacks a lot to become at least a pale reflection of his early work.

In the opening 15 minutes, one thing strongly caught my attention: the acting was utterly bad, unconvincing and a bit forced and somehow everything (acting, dialogs, etc.) seemed very cheap.

Known as a kind of liberal, neo-communist, it seems that with this film he wanted to mock the concept of religion in a clumsy quasi-intellectual way.

Instead of building a strong plot, a lot of shots seem unnecessary, some characters as well, which all together makes the plot of this movie disorienting.

Inspired by Marcel Aima's short stories, Dragojevic tried to lean on his early movie success, but instead of something refreshing, we got nothing more than beating a dead horse.