Tito i ja

This is one of my favorite movies. Its amazing humor, excellent characters flawlessly brought to life by great actors, interesting, funny, yet serious and many-sided story is one of best Serbian movies ever. Zoran is chunky 10-year old living in a house which his parents share with his grandmother, and aunt and uncle. During the communism in Serbia, ruled by popular dictator,Tito, many homes were taken away from their owners. Zoran's family is, unlike most, against Tito's dictature. Zoran, however, sees Tito as his personal hero, as a great man. His learned in school that Tito is greatest man ever, and, for a kid, this propaganda was very believable. Zoran will, during a field trip learn more about his hero, without meeting him, of course. Yet, in order to understand the whole greatness, you have to know Serbian people very well, and know their temper. Only that way, this movies amazing humor will be understandable.

"Tito i ja" or "Tito and me" is beyond any doubt one of the best Serbian movies of all times. There are several reasons for such an opinion.

It's a comedy and satire shaped movie with a serious background story concerning the values in the post WW2 Yugoslavian society. Obsession with Marshall Tito, the undisputed ruler and the political system which follows his character is the main theme, seen through a child's perspective. The main character, a 10 year old boy Zoran from Belgrade tries to find himself between his divers family, friends, girls who he starts to notice and a communist regime which infiltrates all the life's pores. Love can be confusing and Zoran will discover that during the boy scout expedition to the Tito's native village Kumrovec. A convincing performance was also given by Lazar Ristovski (Comrade Raja), a party instructed delegate whose task was to plan and execute the expedition. The cynicism and narrow minded appearance of his character does represent the true state of the communist regime and it's impact on daily life.

"Tito i ja" is also the best and probably the last good work of Goran Markovic, who for reasons unknown utterly lost his common sense and creativity after this movie, and started making rubbish.

The film "Tito and Me" was made during one of the most difficult periods in the history of Eastern Europe. Its quirky humor has marked the beginning of the end for the country it celebrates and unmercifully criticizes at the same time.

Making a child the central point of the film is essential for its vision. A child is able to see everything in a way as yet unclouded by the veils that adults often put on truth. And yet, the nation this film depicts often behaves like a big child (in ways that lead to self-ruin instead to self-preservation), and that gives another justification for such a choice of the main star.

The film goes even further to deal with certain philosophical and moral issues that were accepted without question for a great number of years in most countries of Eastern Europe. It puts them to test, a test of an honest and pure spectator of human foibles and peculiarities, and shows us the terrifying results made by an unbiased viewer.

The humor of the film, often bordering on absurd, only serves to heighten the sense of malaise and impending doom that eventually becomes a reality.

The child Zoran (wonderfully played by Dimitrije Vojnov, who is now one of Serbia's leading film critics and film connoisseurs)is taken along the paths of maturity, his thoughts become more and more grown-up in the process, and accordingly, his illusions are shattered one by one.

This film is comic, warm and honest, but also cruel and terrifying in its refusal to compromise. It is a story of a misguided nation and a warning for others who may share the same destiny, but are as yet not aware of it. As such it should be seen.

Goran Markovic, known more for his dramatic work, achieved something that's eluded many great filmmakers - both smart and funny comedy. Based loosely on his own life as a kid growing up in Tito's communist Yugoslavia in the 1950s, the movie centers around 10-year-old Zoran whose inspired poem about Tito written on a spur-of-the-moment-basis as an in-class assignment, earns him a trip with other deserving pupils retracing Tito's "revolutionary trails" in Tito's hometown of Kumrovec.

One gets the feeling that this film was 25 years in the making and that Markovic had this idea all throughout his career but was just waiting for the right political atmosphere to finally make it.

Movie is very heartwarming even though it hints at many unpleasant aspects of the communist regime in Yugoslavia. It doesn't give into the temptation of using this setting to get cheap and obvious laughs or to sprinkle in personal political statements together with the humour. Instead, it deals with everything in a light but intelligent manner, takes time to set up the supporting characters and delivers fabulous entertainment.

Great stuff.

Narrated by the main protagonist - 10-year old Zoran, "Tito i ja" uses plenty of comedic tones, warm atmosphere," and almost takes shape of a family movie in order to poke fun at the cult of Tito in the former Yugoslavia and to pinpoint cracks and contortions in the Yugoslav society during the communist period. Young Dimitrie Vojnov gives a heartfelt performance as Zoran who was not only able to hold his own amidst all the peer pressure and propaganda, but actually effected people around him. In the supporting cast, Lazar Ristovski of the "Underground" fame got another outstanding role under his belt as a dogmatic "young pioneers" instructor driven to suicide by Zoran's unrealized nonconformity.