Tilva Ros

As a debut for Nikola Lezaic, Tilva Ros is an excellent movie. But if you're watching it without any previous knowledge, it is a decent documentary drama, hailed by critics as the best Serbian movie in years. Although Serbian cinematography has been struggling for a while now, the accolades might pitch your expectations too high.

The main quality of Tilva Ros is that it's been made by a movie buff filming a bunch of kids supported by a couple of professional actors. Visually it offers more than many high-budget dramas, which is a pleasant surprise for a movie debut. The soundtrack blends in perfectly with a run down industrial town, making the setting rather universal.

Unfortunately, the main characters don't have the training to deliver deeper impressions, they are merely playing themselves. Also, the plot is vague, making the movie almost a documentary. There is a strong reference to MTV Jackass, towards which i feel frank hostility, but the latter is a subjective impression.

Whether you like it or not, Tilva Ros is movie making for dummies and is a challenge even to some well established authors.

"Jackass", Serbian style... I know that the above statement may seem overly simplistic, but I do believe that notwithstanding all the accolades, this film is nothing more than that (and I didn't like 'Jackass'). This is basically a documentary of the 'lives' (or better put 'non- lives') of a group of emotionally handicapped and stranded youths living deep in the Serbian province. It is however also a senseless peace of work about senseless things, a movie that condones a nihilistic view of life and a lifestyle that is absolutely destructive for our young generation.

This is a classical 'pseudo-art' film in my view, of the type that is often praised by critics even though most of them will not be able to tell you why. I have no idea why anybody would want to watch this movie, and I also don't understand how (and for what) it can be enjoyed. Call me basic and unsophisticated, but there you are.

I must admit being confused about this film. I was certainly not bored during its 102 minutes, but I was expecting some real contents, for instance the dramatic developments mentioned in the film announcement.

The young characters in the film acted believably and consistently, which may not come as a surprise as many of them were playing themselves. Similarly, the various landscapes and especially the skating "facilities" were beautiful. That alone makes this movie worth seeing.

But that is where my positive experiences end. The promised "two boys around one girl" drama fell short. It was hardly noticeable, only a little bit near the end (what did I miss?). Further, the coming painful separation due to some moving to university and others staying behind, could only be deduced from the synopsis, and was not a visible element in the movie. This is just logical, in my opinion, since these pains are bound to be felt half a year later, when people discover they are growing apart, and that contacts are doomed to falter, despite earlier vows to never let that happen.

All in all, I'm surprised to read that this film won several prizes. I obviously must have overlooked an important piece of the puzzle. For instance, the purpose of the subdivision in four parts was puzzling, as I saw no essential scene changes or other markings that something different was coming up.

I saw the 1st screening (out of 4) at the Rotterdam filmfestival 2011. The number of attendants at that time was unusually low (75 max), and around 1/3 left half way. As said, I was not bored. Hence I had no reason to leave prematurely, vaguely hoping that something essential had been saved to the end. If it was there, I missed it.

The long-awaited film in Serbia, particularly in the city of Bor where it was shot, continues to torment me, even ten days after it had its premiere. My first impression which I immediately shared on Facebook with my friends after viewing were: God d**n it .. What a bl**dy disappointment! My thoughts are a bit calmer after these ten days, and hopefully, more objective.

Let me explain first why I experienced the film as a disappointment, not just a personal disappointment because of bad movie (which cost me about two hours of life and many, many nerves), but also as a disappointment of a director that I personally know, since we are, by chance, former neighbors and former classmates, and a disappointment for a town I live in.

The film is most terribly and painfully boring, and I think that there cannot be any dispute of that, whatever are the other qualities or flaws that film may possess. The plot of a movie is virtually non-existent, so the "Tilva Roš" can be called as „movie" only in a abstract and general sense, as a set of loosely connected images and scenes.

Now to present (unfortunately the only) virtue of this film. Images that I mentioned, were beautiful in some moments! The film was shot on surreal locations of surface copper mine, which, by its colors and texture, extracted the movie from the complete disaster that hanged over it during all ninety minutes.

The second critical flaw is acting, that is, more precise, technical and semantic (un)quality of verbal discussions and body language of its main characters. None of the „naturščik" teenagers of course, were expected to shine in this regard, but I was personally expecting at least to understand what they talked about?! (I mean, what's the point if people can not even understand what they're talking about ?!) Unfortunately, most of the movie is lost in some background noise, a quick burst of attempted sentences and a parody of Eastern Serbia dialect. The main characters are irritating and bl**dy stupid, and the only characters from the film with which I was able to establish any relationship were minor, mostly negative characters, which, paradoxically, 'cause of extremely poor performance of the main characters, turned positive!

The third essential aspect of movie which failed to develop is the point of the movie. idea. I mean, aren't they supposed to tell us something on the end? The only thing the film shows is the absolute idiocy and disorientation of a generation of teenagers who do not know what to do with their life. Yes, I agree, the country is fuc*ed up, the town of Bor is fuc*ed up, but these characters would be lost and ruined even if they were born on the virgin green fields of Switzerland!

Rating 3 (out of 10) is knowingly exaggerated because of my love for the hometown and national cinema in general. Great pity for the young director and his, with undeserved euphoria shrouded, firstborn ... We can only hope that his next film would offer little bit more sense.

Everything about this movie is so artificial, plain and dull. Just don't waste your time like I did watching it.