Opasni put

The title, OPASNI PUT, is Serbo-Croatian for "Dangerous Road." Director Mate Relja (1922-2006) was Croatian and received the Golden Lion for children's movies in 1963, for this film.

I saw this with my mother when I was about 10 years old and I have never forgotten it. Two small, displaced children making their way home alone in war-torn Yugoslavia; a kind of W.W. II ~ORPHANS IN THE STORM~. I can still remember the shattering, spellbinding effect this movie had on my small self: I completely identified with the fear and trembling of the two children far from their parents. The film captures perfectly the psychology and viewpoint of children, their powerlessness and humor. Beautiful! And I recall the photography being very beautiful too, contrasting the loveliness of the Balkan land with the ugliness of adults at war.

How I wish I could see this again.