Círculos

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.

first - it is not just a movie. but an experience. a special one. because , more than images, music, acting, it is a web of questions about small , usual everyday things. it is expression of a splendid precision to give to a not extraordinary story, at first case, soul, force and blood. it remains many other great European films. but it is not a shadow. or an answer. only a question. few amazing scenes . a great director. salt taste. ash circles. and the measure as axis of a group portrait. it is not a bad idea to see it. why ? for discover a world questions. for few memorable scenes. for Aleksander Bercek silence, for Nikola Rakocevic character nuances, for Hristina Popovic in skin of storm, for the art, splendid art of Srdan Glubovic.

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.

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.

it is not only a good film. but support for reflection. about a war and about Balkans. about hate and about the small details. about feelings and about memories. about justice. and about the essential answers. the music, the image, the acting are only steps to a large circle of questions with not precise answers but with important role to define for yourself. it reminds few great European films but it remains different. for the salt taste, for the bitter atmosphere, for the traits of a lost world, for the beauty of few words and images, for the high talent of a remarkable team.a group portrait in the frame of ash circles. few amazing scenes. and the questions who does it a new form of documentary about an inside geography.Aleksander Bercek's silence. Nikola Rakocevic's character nuances.the admirable art of Srdan Glubovic. a film like a large question. and useful exercise of honesty for each viewer.