The Traps of the New Serbia

Serbia during the post-Milošević era – the time of fierce privatisation, kowtowing to foreigners, cartels, crime, and misery. The story by Nenad Teofilović about a family that wishes to circumvent the intrigues by resorting to honest work and respectable living. Marija is a teacher of English, Mladen a construction sight supervisor who opposes the sale to foreigners, and the well-behaved son Nemanja immensely enjoys late night drawing.

The apparent idyll is one day cut short by the realisation that the youngest member of the family suffers from a serious cardiac defect that can only be remedied by an operation worth 26,000 Euros. The life of the family whose joint property amounts to the value of a Renault 4 in good condition turns topsy-turvy and begins revolving around numerous deeds of parents resorting to desperate measures in the attempt to save the child. But in the world of lies anything is not enough and when you are overcome by mounting frustration, and ensnared in a deadlock, friends become enemies and enemies friends. It is a state when even the honest people cannot remain honest any more and enter The Trap.

The director Srdjan Golubović appeared at 18th LIFFe to the thunderous applause of the Ljubljana audience, while his film was ranked second among the films competing for the Golden Reel Award. We can relate to the stories of our ex-compatriots most likely because we know how close to the truth they come. 

Juš Milčinski