Gordan Mihic Movies

Romanian filmmaker Peter Calin Netzer directs the bleak realist drama Maria, based on the true story of working-class Romanian woman Maria Tiranesi struggling to make the transition to a market economy. Played by theatrical stage actress Diana Dumbrava, Maria is a pregnant mother of six with an abusive alcoholic husband (Serban Ionescu). After he gets arrested and skips town, she is left alone with nowhere to go. Refusing an offer of a lot of money for her newborn child, Maria eventually turns to prostitution. After she tells her story to a local TV channel, the mayor gives her a job and an apartment as part of a publicity stunt. Maria won two Bronze Leopard awards at the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Bosnian-born filmmaker Emir Kusturica made this farce, set in a Gypsy settlement along the banks of the Danube, where three generations of characters burst forth in manic and frenetic displays of charm, confusion, and chaos. Garbage dump godfather Grga Pitic (Sabri Sulejman) and cement czar Zarije Destanov (Zabit Memedov), both in their 80s, remain friends even though they haven't seen each other in 25 years. Zarije's son Matko Destanov (Bajram Severdzan) goes to Grga for a loan. Matko is double-crossed by his partner, gypsy gangster Dadan Karambolo (Srdan Todorovic), who demands that Matko's son, Zare Destanov (Florijan Ajdini), marry Dadan's small sister, Afrodita (Salija Ibraimova). Unfortunately, Afrodita and Zare have absolutely no interest in each other. Cute barmaid Ida (Branka Katic) and Zare fall in love and only have eyes for each other as plans get underway for the wedding of Zare and Afrodite. The sudden death of Zarije seems to offer a solution, since no gypsy would have a wedding and a funeral on the same day. However, Dadan delays the death announcement by hiding Zarije, packed in ice, in the attic. The wedding celebration gets underway amid numerous madcap mishaps and misadventures. With a soundtrack of gypsy music and songs, the funny film features numerous non-professionals in the cast. Shown in competition at the 1998 Venice Film Festival and at the 1998 New York Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The tentative friendship between two disparate elderly men, living amongst the ruins of embattled Yugoslavia is nearly ripped apart by the arrival of a carefree, beautiful young woman in this Serbian drama. Both men, the hypochondriac Ratko and the enormous Krekich live on adjoining rooftops. When lovely Andja moves into a vacant apartment nearby, both old men begin dreaming of again finding the romance they knew as youths and both befriend her. Things go well until one gets jealous and the other is conscripted into the army. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This provocative Serbian drama presents the tragic consequences of the destruction of Yugoslavia and the embargo against Serbia. It focuses upon the lives of two senior citizens, Ana and her curmudgeonly spouse. Before the war, they were comfortably middle-class pensioners. They lost everything when the violence erupted. Ana must now deal with long food lines and the devastation of inflation upon their modest pensions. Her husband cannot deal with the situation and tries to ignore it. Ann rallies to the situation and brings in a little extra money by knitting caps and toy dinosaurs to sell on the streets. Her husband and others frequently curse at Ana. When they do, she simply writes down the words in her "diary of insults." Despite her efforts and strength, the situation slowly drains away the last of their dignity. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Perhan (Davor Dujmovic) is a Gypsy teenager with the ability to move objects with his mind. A criminal named Ahmed convinces him to leave his devoted grandmother (Ljubica Adzovic) and loving girlfriend, and to use his powers to make some money illegally. While becoming a man and learning the trade of crime, the boy searches for his sister (who was supposed to have a leg operation) and tries to save money to realize his fantasy of returning home to marry the woman of his dreams. This film won Emir Kusturica an award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival for his direction and was the first feature to be filmed with its entire dialogue in the Gypsy language, Romany. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Believable, sometimes humorous but often downbeat, this drama about two Yugoslav brothers just after World War II cuts a wide swath across that former nation's cultural divisions. Dragoslav (Svetozar Dvetkovic) is on a train bringing soldiers home from the USSR in 1945 when a young man he had been trying to help kills himself. After the police haul Dragoslav in for questioning, they suspect he is actually a Russian spy. Although they release him for the time being, his freedom does not last long; he is soon arrested and put in jail. In the meantime, the woman he loves (Vladica Milosavljevic) has moved in with Kosta (Meto Jovanovski), his brother. The devil-may-care Kosta lives on black market deals and favors American-style clothes and music. His attitude is diametrically opposed to that of Dragoslav, who stubbornly maintains his faith in the Communist Party, even behind bars. By the time 1949 rolls around, the fate of the brothers and the woman they both love looks anything but bright. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Set against the backdrop of a liberalization in Marshal Tito's Yugoslavia in 1968, this comedy is about the coming of age of Petar (Slavko Stimac) as he looks for love just about anywhere, now that he has discovered it exists. His father (Danilo Stojkovic) is a distant sort who wants him to focus on his grades so he will have a chance at a good future (and be a good Marxist), but Petar's card-shark of a grandfather understands and offers him the advice he needs. Meanwhile, Petar has a crush on his beautiful teacher and wreaks havoc with his academic standing by trying to get back at her for bathing in the river with her male companion. This affront to his feelings is soon forgotten when he meets a charming young miss who is visiting the town with a youth orchestra -- and love takes off from there. Reminiscent of the theme of budding adolescence in earlier films like Black Peter by Milos Forman or Jiri Menzel's Closely Watched Trains, director Goran Paskaljevic shares his famous fellow Czechs' comic insight into the throes of first and uneasy love. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This slice-of-life story of an amoral drifter is an unusual product for the Yugoslavian film industry of its day, and it features a catchy title song. Having been imprisoned as a result of drug peddling, Mika manages to escape from a prison train and hooks up with a man who does horse-riding tricks in small-town fairgrounds. When she spies the police on her trail, she hitches a ride into Belgrade with a boy on a motorcycle. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This is a fine Yugoslavian coming-of-age story, affectionate even when it is bleak. It details the travails of Milan, a 15 year old who has difficulty dealing with being in the work-force. His father has gotten him a job killing bugs at the bakery he works in. He is unsuccessful in this, and continues to be unable to keep work. His father, in his concern for him, pays some whores to deflower the lad. Alas, even this does not go well. Clearly, the boy doesn't perform well on demand. The one person who can properly initiate the lad into manhood turns out to be his aunt, whose patience and humor triumph. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi