Branislav Lecic Movies

Directed and written by Dusan Kovacevic, Profesionalac (The Professional) is set against the backdrop of what made up the former Yugoslavian territories circa the mid-'90s. The story centers around gruff Luka (Bora Todorovic), who claims to have been a State Security Police shadow during the fall of the Milosevic regime. His host, Teja (Branislav Lecic), has come to represent everything Luka despises, not just concerning Yugoslavia, but within his own individual existence. The two confront one another in a surreal montage of archival news footage and personal flashbacks. Profesionalac marks the directorial debut for Kovacevic, and received a positive reception at the Montreal World Film Festival. The film also features Natasa Ninkovic, Dragan Jovanovic, Josif Tatic, Miodrag-Miki Krstovic, Renata Ulmanski, Milos Stojanovic, Gorica Popovic, Ljiljana Dragutinovic, Dana Todorovic, and Sergej Trifunovic. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

An unpredictable black comedy with an epic scope, Emir Kusturica's highly acclaimed Underground takes a look at the modern history of Yugoslavia through the often absurd misadventures of two friends over several decades. The film begins in Belgrade in 1941, establishing the friendship between the gregarious Blacky and the more intellectual Marko during a drunken, late-night musical procession that establishes the riotous tone to follow. Fellow members of the Communist Party, the friends also share an involvement in shady business activities and an attraction for a beautiful actress. Soon, the chaos of World War II forces them to take refuge in an underground shelter with a variety of other townspeople. Years pass and the war ends, but Marko and the actress trick the others into believing that the war is still going on. Kusturica turns this inherently absurd premise into a vibrant portrait of the contradictory, foolish nature of war. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, the film received great acclaim on the festival circuit but had a hard time securing a release in the United States. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Charuga (Ivo Gregurevic) is a wild, scruple-free character, who goes off to fight in Russia during the first World War, and becomes even less easily swayed by ordinary concerns. As the movie opens, he is being chased throught the woods, naked, by the Slovenian police. He has just made love to his old sweetheart and killed the man who had been bedding her since the war began. Then he teams up with a communist guerilla to enjoy even more mayhem and murder. Meanwhile, he is being tracked down by a plodding but persistent policeman. The policeman has aspirations of having sex with an Austrian noblewoman; ironically, Charuga has been having sloppy sex with her for some time. Eventually, after a great many journeys and adventures, this scoundrel is captured. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Slobodan Negic plays "The Professor," a brainy kid born to wealth. His opposite number is the homeless, orphaned "Cavka" (Yugoslavian for "Blackbird"), portrayed by Marko Ratic. In the tradition of the "Our Gang" comedies of yore, the Professor is forbidden by his snooty parents from associating with such riffraff as Cavka. How the boys outwit their elders and have a wonderful time forms the nucleus of this carefree comedy-drama. This Yugoslav-British co-production, was released to English-speaking theaters only a few months after its European debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this politically charged drama, the turbulent times just following Marshal Tito's rejection of ties to Moscow comes to life. Interestingly, even in the first few years after the Yugoslavian leader's death, the subject matter of this film was considered too hot to handle, and the director had to appeal to the courts for permission to shoot it. In the story, Martin is a schoolboy with a sense of the absurd and a willingness to use ridicule to amuse himself and his classmates. He has an uncle who is high up in the nation's bureaucracy who protects him and his grandfather now that his father has died. His grandfather is too stubborn to give his farm to the local farming collective, and Martin himself is in hot water with the principal for making fun of his girlfriend, one of the students at the high school. However, as long as the uncle is able to protect them, they remain out of hot water. Eventually, this situation changes, and things get very chancy indeed for the young satirist and scholar. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this 77-minute "stream-of-consciousness" series of events, a young man runs away from home only to wander around town for awhile. A joke about marriage winds up taking people to a picnic in an area outside the city that is off-limits. First a fake wedding and then a real wedding occur, followed by three couples trying to outdo each other in verbal acuity. Meanwhile, some other young men arrive in a boat, and then start a quarrel which leads to a full-blown fist fight. Into the foray comes a game warden with some comical observations on modern Yugoslavian society - about as fragmented as this story in 1981. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide