Circles

If this film were a state of mind, it would be that sense of comprehension before inhaling your last breath. If this film were an emotion, it would be the weeping of an abandoned child. If this film were a person, it would be one reeling due to great loss. Still, it is all of these, and more – it is about liberation. The camera-work takes us around in circles - the clear Hercegovan sky, the clinical void of a Belgrade hospital, the barrenness of western capitalism. We are reminded that life gives no more than what is put in. But also, this film is about balance, about loss of son and gain of father, about deliverance through goodness and imprisonment through evil, and about setting things right in order to be able to take in air again. Could it be that this work of art is finally (after 20 years, from 1993-2013) giving us a chance to atone for endorsing fratricide, if by nothing but by conceding to it? Serbs must exonerate themselves to be able to resume living in the homeland. As for us Yugoslavs, perhaps can finally exit the circle of remorse for the demise of our land and find some redemption and peace of mind.

Circles, aka Krugovi, is based on the true story of a Serbian soldier who was killed defending a Muslim civilian from other soldiers while he was off-duty. The results of this event are fictional but that kernel of truth grounds this film in a firm realty. The majority of this film takes place a decade after the Serbian-Bonsian conflict is over but its effects are present throughout.

What makes this film great and sets it apart from a straight-forward narrative is the way it skillfully withholds information and only reveals small details of what happened and the history that has ensued. This keeps the audiences rapt attention and makes it much more tense than it should be because we don't know how the characters are going to react because we don't fully know what happened. The characters don't go off on a lengthy moralistic speech or expository dialogue. The communication is much more realistic in that they don't say what they are thinking and they hide information from each other – much like real life.

The cinematography is great, from the millennia old desert and old way of life to the inside of the BMW plant which looks futuristic; this is a film with skillful hands behind the camera. Really, this film should not be as great as it is, but the constant intrigue and slow unraveling of the mystery make this an entertaining and emotional ride. The actors too are compelling and well casted in their roles; this film would not work on any level without their excellent performances. The actor who plays the mobster-father (the IMDb credits are incomplete), even though his role is fairly small in comparison, should be the villain in every movie, he just exudes fury and hate. (He looks like an evil Michael Sheen – which is actually Andy Sirkis so maybe he looks like an evil Andy Sirkis?)

From the title of this film, I assumed this would be about the circular nature of violence but in fact this can be taken two ways, it's more about the circular nature of kindness and good, and a more-accurate title would be "ripple" or the ripple-effects of a singular kind-act.

Summary says it all. This is one of best movies I have ever seen, and masterpiece of Serbian cinematography. It's really well done technically, and not revealing everything until very end, but giving hints all way along about why characters are acting the way they do. It slowly raises history, revealing one event that scarred all for life.

It's based on true story of Serbian soldier in Bosnia during wartime, and it follows characters to present day, showing how incident in Bosnia haunts them. Movie is pretty hard to watch, because of very thought of situation. It gets emotional at some points, where characters finally leave history behind, or do something that honors the memory of incident. This movie also shows global atmosphere during Yugoslavian civil war, pretty much pointing out that ordinary people did not want to wage war. It has subtle cinematographic effects, revealing more than there is to plain sight.

As a person who likes movies, I will leave criticism and reviews to people that are paid to do that. However I will recommend this movie as a must-see to everyone reading this.

Even if it does not entertain you, Krugovi is certainly a movie that makes you think (about life in general, but also about Balkan history in particular). In troubled situations and extreme conditions, the ugliest and the most beautiful shades of the human soul reveal together. The tricky thing is that they seem to appear inter-connected, so a terrible bad might be the reason and the circumstance of some extraordinary good. The movie is inspiring, it is about hope in humanity, about people who act as human beings, even in that moments where the animal instinct reigns over the world. Souls talk, people not too much. There are rough characters, that create strong ties based on common memories. In spite of all, they seem to have an inner need to do the right thing. All the stories from this movie start from the same point, Marko a soldier in the Bosnian War is beaten to death because he was trying to defend a Muslim from harassment and possible death. Few years later, the characters of that scene arrive to deal again with each other.

Krugovi (Circles) is one of the best Serbian movies of last decade. It is inspired by heroic death of young Serbian soldier Srdjan Aleksic (Marko in movie), who saved life of Muslim during Bosnian civil war and was killed by his comrades. Question which leads movie is: Was it for nothing? Does it mean anything to people? This movie itself is an answer on this question.

Movie depicts people that are 12 years later still in front of this tragedy. Father of victim is rebuilding the church stone by stone. Church is removed due to building a new hydro-power central and he is using the same stone to build it on the top of the hill. Question is: Is it worth? Cinematography here is beautiful. Friend of Marko that didn't do anything to help him is victim of his conscience. Questin is: How to live with it? Fiancé of Marko left Bosnia and Herzegovina and tries to move on, but it is far from easy. Son of one of murderers has to find a way to live with his father's crime and to rebuild the church together with Marko's father. As he is trying to help it seems he is just spoiling. Haris, whose life Marko saved, lives in Germany with wife and two daughters and on the anniversary of Marko's death is in situation to "pay his debt".

At the end all protagonists got answers and we could feel it. We didn't need words to explain situation. As in real life sometimes word are redundant, incapable.

I highly recommend this movie. It is emotional, but never pathetic; ethical, but never moralistic; inspiring, but not pretentious; abounds with symbols, but never confusing.

And one question for the end: When circles will reach us?