Brandon Pence

A Serbian Film has been getting ridiculous amounts of internet hype lately on forums I go to. Being championed as one of, if not the most disgusting film ever to be made, A Serbian Film is director Srđan Spasojević’s first foray into full feature films.

From what I’ve read, A Serbian Film is meant only for international audiences. Serbia is a country that has spent decades suffering violent conflict, civil unrest, corruption and ethnic tensions and this film, supposedly, is meant to shed light on this.

I had read about a lot of the more infamous scenes before hand, which I will not go into here because they do border on the most graphic things you could possibly imagine. And to its credit… A Serbian Film does deliver everything its promised and in no way does it back out or do anything lightly.

I did enjoy the movie for what it is. As an artistic film, it actually had me more compelled in the first 40 minutes than it did in the 2nd 40 minutes and the 2nd 40 minutes is where all the mayhem is. The first part of the movie actually did a great job of touching on what I imagine real life is like for porn stars. You really do connect with these characters and understand the depths of their relationship and the pitfalls they encounter.

The 2nd half really seems to run out of actual story so they just drug the main character so he can do whatever the script says. The 2nd half of the film is spent in “flashback” basically, as Milos wanders from point A to point B, remembering sequences of depravity he already committed. This really hurts the film for me because theres never a feeling of “please stop” because you, as the viewer, know its already happened. The sense of disgust and anxiety these scenes are meant to cause its actually lessened, and less disgusting than the few scenes prior. They are also much less psychologically oriented, and do seem to be there for shock even if just a tad.

The final act however is very well done and does not suffer at all from the lack of disgust. The way the film uses the actual gore in the final act is impressive. Always used to gross you out more and more without ever truly going for shock.

The entire film is that way, actually. This film, while pushing extreme boundaries, knows how to keep its credibility. In a film filled with the most ludicrous acts I have ever witnessed in a movie, it actually kept its credibility and sincerity the entire time. Only in one scene does the tension ever lighten and the entire film is like walking on glass until the very end.

While it will not be remembered for it, A Serbian Film is actually a very beautiful film. Both the music, lighting and camera work are of the highest Hollywood qualities, and I sincerely mean that. I believe the production values of this film really help solidify its sincerity and credibility. This never at any moment feels like a cheap “shock” film made for $200,000 in a weekend. It never feels like a Troma-style gorefest. The entire time the film is very slow and at the same time visceral, with the artistic style a credible movie deserves.

In the end… I do like the film. As depraved as it is, I really did think it was good. Is it shocking at times? Yes. Is it disgusting at times? Absolutely. But did it do a good job of conveying several messages, including the truly disgusting and animalistic qualities of the human race that will never stop? Yes.

If you have a strong stomach and like the extreme, give it a shot. Do not go in lightly though; this is not a Hostel or Saw style torture porn with lots of gore. This is not a film that involves cool kills and buckets of blood. This film is a very visceral, intense and dark view of mankinds most primitive traits and the true evil of the human race.