F20

I watched this film at the Croatian national film festival in Pula, among the crowd of several thousand people and it was truly an eye opener. It is no wonder that the film has received a very high audience vote, one of the highest in the past 10-15 years of the festival. The way the story was told, the way it was performed by actors, the way it was designed, shot and edited and the way the soundtrack was chosen, it was indeed like watching one of top quality Hollywood genre films, with a touch of European flavor. Kudos to the filmmakers who succeeded in holding attention of several thousand audience members in Pula's ancient Roman arena, and drawing a long lasting applause after the end of the screening. It was good to know that Croatians are capable of producing a smart genre film that makes sense and that can be suspenseful, entertaining and emotional.

I watched all of Arsen's previous films and considered them as some of the very best that Croatian film industry has to offer, so I expected this one with excitement. Luckily, I didn't get disappointed. On the contrary, it cemented my feeling that his films simply don't belong to the mediocre world of Croatian filmmaking. Although dealing a very sensitive subject, which is mental illness, he managed to make an exciting, thought-provoking and entertaining film which never loses its steam. Arsen has again managed to surprise, both the critics and the audiences, by choosing a subject, genre and style which has nothing to do with his previous films, aside for his impeccable sense for storytelling, inner rhythm of the film and emotional impact. His directing is again masterful as it manages to hold the story together, creating pace that many Hollywood directors would envy him for. He once more manages to discover young talents who are simply perfect in their roles. It becomes almost as a cliché that a young, undiscovered first-time actor would excel in Arsen's films. He again chooses great songs and picks a young band, giving them a chance to showcase their talents. Similar to his previous films, the editing and the cinematography are excellent as well, making this film one of truly most exciting Croatian films I've seen in decades.

The film was promoted as bringing something fresh into Croatian cinema and it completely failed to do so. Everything was typical and actually probably done even worse than usual. It was just another Croatian film that underestimates its audience by showing absolutely every average member of society as incompetent.

I watched "F20" twice and I do have to admit that only the second time I managed to catch all the little details to which I couldn't pay attention the first time I saw the film. At first, you are completely immersed into the story since the pacing is flawless and you don't have any time to notice, for example, the lead's character's name in the video game. Once you can focus your attention to read it and once you realize what it is, even the title of the film gets another meaning. It seems that the fimmakers paid their utmost attention to every detail, making this film one of rare European genre films that actually delivers on its promises. Once the story starts unraveling, it doesn't stop till the very end and you definitely appreciate the ride. Young leads are great, the music is awesome and the song performed in the club is really excellent.

After having seen quite a number of Croatian films this one came as a total surprise. I admit that I didn't expect anything new, but F20 manages to deliver strong punches and keeps you glued to your seat for the entire duration of the film. It is completely void of any standard Croatian subjects and themes, such as war, social situations, politics, etc., and tells a story of a young couple trying to escape from the city in the middle of the summer to party at a well-known party beach. Things go terribly wrong so instead of fun and games, there are dead bodies left behind and a trail of blood following them to the very end. The acting is truly excellent, especially knowing that the actors are very young. The cinematography is exquisite, as well as the directing. In my mind, one of the best parts is the music. One of the songs, sung in English by an up-and-coming band is excellent, and a real hit. This is the kind of a film that I'd gladly watch again.