Dusica Zegarac Movies

Director Aleksandar Rajkovic takes his cue from the Yugoslavian "Black Wave" movement of the 1960s for this adaptation of the William Shakespeare classic set in a 21st century Belgrade garbage dump. The buildings that Shakespeare described as castles are now ramshackle slum houses, and gangs of Orthodox Roma have entered into a heated confrontation with local Muslims over the distribution of the trash that occupies the massive landfill. Winter has fallen on Serbia, and in the wake of his brother's death, Jova weds his late sibling's wife, Yelena, and assumes leadership of the gang who runs the trade on the garbage dump. As the specter of Yelena's late husband haunts the dump in search of revenge, his young son, Hamlet, discovers that his uncle orchestrated the murder of his father -- a revelation that sets the stage for tragedy and seals the grim fate of all involved. Shot with a cast of Roma actors -- many of whom had no prior acting or film experience -- Rajkovic's innovative take on Shakespeare's timeless play proves once again that the Bard's work can still ring true even when removed from its original time and setting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The brutal war between the Serbs and Croats which broke out as soon as Yugoslavia was freed from Communist rule is the subject of this harrowing drama. In the story, a Serbian man and a Croatian woman are being married. Though this was once a commonplace occurrence, today the post-wedding celebrations are interrupted by violent demonstrations of conflict between the two groups. The woman's husband goes off to serve in the Serbian army, never to be seen again, and she is brutally dealt with by Serbian soldiers, while the beautiful multiethnic region of Vukovar is similarly ravaged by the ongoing war. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A Serbian family leaves the troubled Kosovo region after Moslems rape the daughter in front of her mother. When they leave their home after the assault, their family tombs are desecrated, and the move to northern Serbia is marked by rejection by the local townspeople of their new community. Meto Jovanovski plays Bozidar, a bus driver who left Kosovo 15 years before and who helps the family adjust to their new home. The family troubles follow them, as Eastern and Western culture clash with Moslem and Christian factions soon engaged in a bloody civil war. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A Muslim frontier guard for the Ottoman Empire in the mid-18th century is faced with decisions that he must make based on his limited knowledge of Turkish law, and of the political and religious tenets of the Serbs on the other side of the border in Bosnia Herzogovina. As a consequence of his ignorance and the harsh laws of the times, he first saves a woman from being raped and then kills her, since she has been disgraced -- an act that was motivated by adherence to the law but that leaves him in a tortured state of mind. In another violent encounter, he captures a few Greek Orthodox monks, burns their Bible, and then kills one of them. His murderous "duties" as a border guard begin to weigh more heavily on his conscience when he falls in love with a woman traveling with others through the country. His violence, willing or not, catches up with him in the end as he comes across the bodies of soldiers that had been massacred, and he must fight the forces that did the deed, no matter what the odds. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Events in the 18th century are the concern of the Devil, who tries to maintain the balance of power between the Church and himself. The murder of the Russian Tsar, which will lead to Catherine the Great taking the throne, is not acceptable to the Devil, and he sends a minion of his, who is a double for the murdered ruler, to take his place. However, the double falls in love and eventually refuses to take the throne, which requires the Devil to have him killed also. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A young journalist and his wife take a vacation on an island off the coast of Yugoslavia. Fearing a revolution is probable, spies are directed by politicians to watch the hippies who have gathered there. The man joins up with the revolt but loses his wife over his political decision. He falls for a female spy who has been trailing him, but he is arrested and the revolutionaries go underground to plan their next move in this offbeat social commentary of freedom. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Milena Dravic stars in this crime drama based on a newspaper story. A woman driving a stolen car is involved in a traffic accident. When the police arrive at the scene, the woman who was seen by several witnesses has vanished without a trace. Dravic won the "Best Actress" trophy at the Pula Film Festival for her portrayal of the chatty blonde. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A kindly woman offers to have her son marry a 17-year-old Jewish girl to protect her from the Nazis. Her son was raised Catholic and would provide a good cover. Unfortunately, he initially rebels and as a result is teased by his friends and ex-girl. He then marries her and eventually comes to love her. But then the Nazis come and arrest her anyway. They take her to a concentration camp and force her to work as a prostitute. Her husband follows and stays nearby. A friend of his runs the camp, and the husband sneaks into camp to try to save her. But she is too weak to scale the barbed wire fence. He then takes her hand and together they are electrocuted on the fence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide