RobK-2

I saw this film at the 'Africa in the picture-festival' at the Filmhuis The Hague. I had not heard or read any review about this movie, but based on the plot synopsis I expected a politically correct flick. First of all, this is a very clever and funny movie, with likable characters. Actually it's one of the best comedies I've seen in years. Its fresh originality reminded me of earlier Spike Lee movies like 'She's Gotta Have It'. Unlike Spike Lee, Director Jennifer Sharp keeps the tone light all the time. This is no a criticism, she obviously intended the movie not to be too dogmatic. Probably the most rebellious thing about the movie is the excessive smoking of the main characters; I'm sure this is intended as a sneer to all that non-smoking Hollywood movies you see nowadays. The movie deals with stereotypes of all sorts, but in essence this movie is more about fear of commitment than about race. I've seen many new faces in this movie and all the actors perform very natural. Anthony Montgomery is brilliant, but Ryan Alosio steals the show as his best friend who is bluffing his way into rap in order to get a job at a record store to get close to a girl he fancies.

I think this is an excellent movie. If it was released in an English-spoken version it would probably have been a great success. I think this movie was never released in the Netherlands. Luckily it's now available on DVD. The movie is mainly Icelandic-spoken; some parts in English and French. The only problem I have with this movie is that it's hard to like any of the characters in this movie. They are all anti-social, selfish and cruel. I hope this movie is not an accurate portrayal of Icelandic social life. The only human person Françoise is from France (is there a message here?), played excellently by Hélène de Fougerolles. But her character is annoyingly passive at the crucial points at the end of the story; I found this not very convincing because at the start of the movie she's showing a lot of initiative.

I saw this film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It's the first feature film of director Srdjan Vuletic. Vuletic, who was present at the screening, described the film as an ode to the city he loves: Sarajevo. The film's main character is young glue-sniffing Fikret. It's cynical to see that even in a world ruled by post-war chaos 'decadent' western influences are everywhere. Fikret dresses the way the gangster rappers dress in American rap videos shown on MTV. When Fikret's father dies a man appears at the funeral announcing that the father owes him a large sum of money. Muslim honor demands it should be paid before Fikret's father soul can rest in peace. After a unsuccessful attempt to rob an all-night supermarket Fikret's is contacted by a corrupt cop, who also happens to be the father of a girl he fancies. The cop has kidnapped a rich man's daughter and is using Fikret to hide her. In return he will help Fikret to pay off his debt. From here on the film shifts from an social-realistic drama to an exciting thriller against the background of the intense poverty of war-battered Sarajevo. Strangely enough this is not a depressing movie. At times it's quite funny and towards the end if offers some glimpses of hope. The fact that such an powerful and convincing story can be filmed with a great cast of local talents is certainly hopeful. I think we are gonna hear a lot more of director Vuletic.