Varuh meje

Can't recommend this silly effort unless you're really into Slovenian T&A.

Three potty-mouthed bratz from Ljubljana canoe topless to Croatia seemingly unaware of the distraction they cause to the local peasantry. Hm... or are they really so unwitting?

Throughout the overlong running time, these three empty-headed boobs talk obsessively about sex and advertise their young bodies to old men, grannies, retards and wildlife. Eventually they provoke the response they are looking for, bringing down the wrath of the ancient Slavic pagans.

The theme of contemporary banality vs. primeval mysticism is presented symbolically and would have been more successful if it had been taken further in this direction. What the viewer is left with is a film about how women instinctively eroticize their fears, particularly their fear of The Other - a philosophical concept much in favor throughout the writings of Slovenian academic Zizek. The Other here is symbolized by the creepy wilderness of Croatia where folk are lawless, inscrutable and potentially deadly. Our girls absorb just enough terror and brutality to lubricate their sex lives and one girl is apparently led to ovulation - the deepest chamber of her womanhood.

And when they finally escape their frenzied all-night ordeal they return to the prosaic comforts of civilization, where beer tastes crappy, rock bands suck, relationships fall apart and old coots still make lame passes at teenage hotties.

So, Guardians of the Border really only succeeds in being a sexy travelogue. If only Croatia really were this interesting...

Varuh meje (2002), shown here as "Guardian of the Frontier" is an unsettling film. Three young female college students take what is supposed to be a relaxing canoe trip down a scenic river in Slovenia.This is not a nature movie, so we know things will go wrong, and things definitely go very wrong.

Ultimately, the students find themselves in a small, rural village, which appears eminently safe. At that point, the film reminded me of Southern Comfort (1981). In Southern Comfort, urban soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard are lost in a swamp, attacked by local inhabitants, and then enter a village of "good Cajuns" who may or may not be what they seem.

The tension in both films derives from the reaction of people who, while extremely competent in their own environment, find themselves in an environment where new skills are needed if they are to survive.

"Guardian of the Frontier" provides some lovely footage of Slovenian scenery, and some unexpected themes–-the artificiality

of the separation between two tiny countries--Slovenia and

Croatia--xenophobia, and rural/urban prejudices.

This is certainly not a must-see movie. On the other hand, how often do we get a chance to see any Slovenian movie in Upstate New York? "Guardian of the Frontier" is worth seeing near

home or on VHS or DVD. It's not a film for which it's worth a special trip to Slovenia to view without subtitles.

True and (sur)realistic! If you want to know what it is like to be a growing up woman in a small European country go and see it. The end is a little bit confusing, what is typical of Slovene movies, but what struck me the most was the director's message in the end which says LOVE IS A DREAM... DEDICATED TO MYSELF

Half a mystical thriller and half the fractured fantasies of a fragile mind, "Guardian of the Frontier" is an engaging trip that soon derails. Strong imagery and a compelling premise is soon overwhelmed by incoherent plotting, hackneyed dialogue, amateurish acting, and the most outlandish and over-the-top phallic imagery in recent memory (here, a fish is most definitely not just a fish!). Evidently, this is the first Slovenian feature film to be directed by a woman -- Ms. Weiss must have been determined to prove that she could be as lurid and gratuitously explicit as any man.

"The first female directed Slovene narrative feature film, Guardians of the frontier follows three college girls on a canoe trip through the woods.As they travel down the Kolpa River, which separates the relatively affluent Slovenia from the downtrodden Croatia, they find themselves in the midst of a hallucinatory combination of nationalist and personal passions."

in Slovene with English subtitles

Guardians of the Frontier takes the viewer on the coming of age journey of three young women. The perspective is completely unbiased and neutral. Many aspects and dilemmas of life are presented, and the plot has no singular focus. The characters of the three young women are meticulously and realistically presented. They are very interesting and representative in their differences, which, by the film's end can be seen as archetypical in nature. This is the type of film which is compelling later, when one realizes how succinct and unique it is.

What is doubly striking about this film is that the director is also a woman. It is not a film by a man based on a man's concept of a woman. It is not male nor anti-male, it is operating on a whole different level. The whole film is presented from a distinctly female point of view and the perceptions, issues and context are fundamentally different. A man could just not make this film. The young women, the feel of their characters, their interpretation of the world, and the issues they face are genuinely and distinctly those of women.

The cinematography, like many Slovenian films, is striking, artistic, yet subtle. Clearly it was filmed on emulsion film. Considering it's traditional yet modern cinemagraphic style, a plot accurately representing a women's perspective, and that it is also directed by a woman, Guardians of the Frontier offers a satisfying contrast to Hollywood.

I saw this film at the NSK State in Time/Slovene Avant Garde exhibit in Seattle, November, 2004.

Thank You, Maja, and I look forward to seeing more creative work from you in the future.