miladinerceg

The backbone of every state consists of thousands of little people, those who work for the state and are it's mouthpiece, a link between authority and common folk. They provide vital services for every citizen, making possible for them to complete some tasks like obtaining building permits, documents, etc. But, what happens when system is so bad that those very people of whom we all are dependent, become so corrupt and lazy that it becomes nearly impossible to make them do their job? That is exactly what Državni posao (Government Job) is all about.

In an unspecified government firm in Serbia, the three archivists: Đorđe Čvarkov (Dimitrije Banjac), Dragan Torbica (Nikola Škorić) and Boškić (Dejan Ćirjaković) spend their days trying to work as less as they can. Čvarkov is the boss of this department, old Vojvodinian (Northern Serbian province) gentleman who happens to have a chicken farm as a side job and a profound hate for everyone outside his village. Dragan Torbica is a Bosnian Serb who came with his family to Serbia after WWII; he is rural, highlander type in constant battle with Čvarkov. While Čvarkov and Torbica are remnants of the communist era, young and energetic Boškić is the champion of western values, which makes him the laughing stock of his senior colleagues.

This show covers a large array of subjects: clashes between temperaments, old vs. new, day to day happenings in Serbia, political debate, natives vs. newcomers, corruption (mostly their own), etc. Through their characters, actors, who are also the writers of the show speak mockingly about every subject that plagues the nation. They exaggerate, but those situations ring true with every resident of Serbia.

Filmed in a single studio that serves as their office, with just those three actors as an entire cast (other characters are only mentioned and never seen, save for the few cameos) and also write the screenplay (there is one more screenwriter, Mladen Urdarević), with a small crew and a director Stojče Stoleski, this show has extremely low production values and depends heavily on the humour and acting abilities. Although none of the actors are trained, they give strong performances, especially Banjac, although, they can be little over the top at times. It was never meant to last; but, it's growing popularity and strong following of devoted fans prompted TV Vojvodina to keep it on the air, much to the pleasure of it's audience.

Although their humour can be crude at times, and their references limited to people of Serbia and region, this show gives an excellent glimpse at everyday life in Serbia, though we should take it with a grain of salt. This is just a comedy show, after all. I say, give it a go.