Panama

Jovan is an architecture student at university. He doesn't believe in monogamy, instead just having one-night stands and multiple short- term relationships. His view is reinforced and encouraged by his friend, Milan, who is even more free-wheeling than him. They even have a monthly game, the winner being the one who has the most sexual encounters. Then Jovan meets Maja. They are attracted to each other and start sleeping together. Jovan makes it clear from the start that he believes in an open relationship, and Maja is fine with that. However, while he is free to see other women, he starts to suspect that Maja is seeing other men, gets jealous and starts cyber-stalking her. After a while he discovers that he loves her and starts to see her exclusively. Will the relationship survive his jealousy, paranoia and obsessiveness?

An interesting examination of relationships, particularly among young adults, in an age of social media, pornography, instant satisfaction and non-commitment. Also looks at darker issues, especially jealousy and obsession.

Some interesting twists in the tale. At many points in the story the relationship can go in many directions, and a word or action here or there can change everything.

Good, but not great. The characters are a bit too one-dimensional, and I was expecting something more dramatic towards the end. Ending, while poetic, feels too vague.

When a work of cultural consumption makes references to technological development, through gadgets that rapidly go out of fashion every time a new formula, measure or chip appears, the work runs the risk of quickly becoming obsolete, unless its dramatic basis is sustained on prevailing reflections on human beings and, even better, if it is done with honesty, so it can become a valid testimony of what people thought and how they behaved in a given time of human evolution. Serbian director Pavle Vuckovic based his first feature "Panama" in his own experiences as well as those of acquaintances to tell a story about how social communications and pornography have contributed to exacerbate narcissism among people and, consequently, to deteriorate human relationships. The protagonist is Jovan (Slaven Doslo), a graduating senior of Architecture that leads the life of any upper middle class young man in the mid-2010s, with access to social networks, nightclubs, private university and employment. Jovan proposes an open relation to Jana (Jovana Stojiljkovic), a humble girl who consumes the same things offered by the market economy of our times. The drama soon develops when Jovan begins to suspect that Jana leads a double life, through his cell phone and computer. Although the target audience of the film may be the young, "Panama" tells us, the elderly crowd, many things that perhaps Vuckovic were unaware of or not: this is neither a romantic comedy nor a passionate drama, but a loveless portrait of everyday neurosis about compulsive sex and how it can destroy a relationship in the absence of the creative potential that defines its opposite, personalized sex (see Dane Rudhyar). Eloquently, the erotic formula that Jovan and Jana repeat in their sexual encounters is sodomy, the "derisory grin" of life, as De Sade called that reversal of the procreative act, where the "pearls of life" (as Buddhists call semen) end in a "rotting zone"... My viewing of "Panama" also coincided with my reading of Ernesto Sabato's "The Writer and His Ghosts", in which he says, give or take a word or two, that in our time the human body has been denied its rich metaphysical dimension and it has been deprived of its capacity to make us reach knowledge through it. Thus, the other person's body is a mere object and sex is almost an onanistic act, because only through the association with a personalized body and its energy, we humans can transcend our egos and solitude, and achieve communion... which social networks will never give us. "Pure sex is sad," says Sabato, because it leaves us back in the solitude where we started, but now also with a failed attempt at communication. In the end, in his futile search for love through the "negative way", Jovan looks for a Panama (where Jana apparently has gone without notice) in social networks, streets and abandoned buildings of his city, while Jana may be perhaps in the global corruption of a paper-made Panama. As limitations, "Panama" could (and should) have been more graphic in its depictions of arid sex and, like many first works, it tries to say too many things. However, it is a sincere drama, with suggestive visual and musical metaphors of our mind tunnels, as we search for happiness, which makes us reflect on many things beyond its story, and long after the projection ends.

Jovan (Slaven Doslo) and Maja (Jovana Stojiljkovic) are in an open relationship - the starting point. And then what happens is that standard - she falls in love with him, but he also in it, although he will not confess to himself. After all, Jovan acknowledges that he is in love with Maja and one, one might say, a self-confident guy becomes a person who drinks the ground beneath his feet. He becomes someone who keeps the girl.

Sex in this movie is over. The actors are Maja and Jovan. Sex is passionate, dirty and convincingly portrayed.

The film has imposed several topics in the story, without further elaboration of the same and without adequate answers. At the same time,films unnecessarily burden scenes that have no significance. For example, for several minutes, Jovan was at dinner with another girl. She was also the parents of that girl. There's also Jovan's faculty professor who just disappeared from the film without explanation.

In the end, praise deserves the main actors, young actors Slaven Doslo and Jovana Stojiljkovic. Slaven played a very successful role. Particularly expired in moments of paranoia. Jovann was exceptional. In many situations her face spoke more than every word. Scenes of sex played at an enviable level.

This movie can not give a higher score than 6. Simply, there are too many defects and inconsistencies. The mentioned actors have drawn this score.

Milan (Milos Pjevac) wages periodic bets with his buddy Jovan ((Slaven Doslo) to see how many sexual conquest they can acquire in short periods of time. However when he meets Maja (Jovana Stojiljkovic) what originally begins as another score for Jovan, after several heavy sexual encounters, suddenly his conquest turns into an "open relationship". Maja accepts his conditions, but it seems Jovan has problems dealing with his own rules as he becomes obsessed with Maja's every move on social media.

Obsession leads to jealousy and to Jovan attempts to try to re-categorize his relationship with Maja as he follows her every move. Jovan find it increasingly difficult to deal with his own rules he implemented in the relationship causing Maja to denounce his contemptuous treatment of her on several occasions. His temper progressively turns volatile and his feelings for Maja makes Jovan paranoid that everyone in her surroundings is either a culprit in hiding the affairs he thinks she's having or they are having an affair with her themselves.

This situation becomes unbearable for Maja and it does turn Jovan into a walking mess as he's unable find answers amidst his continuous accusations of Maja's infidelities. There is something to be said about Jovan's allegations, for Maja's demeanor is very withholding and vague towards Jovan's claims, giving him more ammunition to doubt her credibility. His increasingly paranoid scenarios regarding Majas affairs with whomever may be chummy with her on her social media leads Jovan to a borderline nervous breakdown. A once carefree player is now on the other side of his game, and the results take a toll on his daily existence for he trails and follows Maja's every move online with unconvincing results. The intelligence of "Panama" comes as a result of the way the social media information is gathered by Jovac and the way it makes him borderline manic, as he strategizes how to conduct his surveillance of Maja to mixed results and to the detriment to his relationship with her.

The Panama connection becomes apparent as Jovac is lead to believe that Maja has departed to Panama under mysterious circumstances never to be seen again, or did she?. A riveting cause and effect tale, all the subplots of Majas whereabout tie in nicely with the progressively self destructive behavior of Jovan. Jovan's obsession is acquired as a results of his apparent self projecting insecurities of Maja due to the standards and lifestyle he lives by.

The film's beautifully crafted explicit sex scenes complements the story visually as it tacitly explains a darker addiction to pornography & social media. The radical changes that leads the Jovan into a tailspin of self deception grows in apparent misplaced distrust of his friends and surroundings.

Panama is a very thought provoking film as it begs to question the role social media is having on relationships and how misplaced trust in this media can prove destructive if not checked against reality.

If you like to see hot sex scenes and nothing else, this is a movie for you.