tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post3923602208458683953..comments2023-11-05T01:18:40.171-06:00Comments on Monster Scholar: In Defense of a Serbian FilmMonster Scholarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512345969721307138noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-47158197114850083252011-03-31T17:42:50.929-05:002011-03-31T17:42:50.929-05:00I watched the film a few days ago and I have a tho...I watched the film a few days ago and I have a thought or two about the experience. <br />Firstly, I suppose I have to say that I believe the filmmakers in their statements that "A Serbian Film" was about the three wars that most recently occurred in that part of the world. If I didn't believe them, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on in my review, because without the contextual blanket of half a million arrests/interrogations/internments, approximately 130,000 to 150,000 deaths, and approximately 20,000 to 50,000 women raped between '92 and 99...well, without those statistics, the film would lack teeth and consequently, veracity.<br /> <br />So, to those who would condemn it as brutal, shocking, horrific, etc, etc, recognize that the very few tough-to-watch things in the film occurred on a regular basis in and around Serbia for quite a large portion of the 90's. As I've recently told a friend, if that's what comes out of Serbia, let's give a camera to the filmmakers in Rwanda and be prepared to see what happens next.<br />Seen in the context of a world of violence the likes of which I have never experienced, I can only view the film as the expression of one man's complete and utter domination by external parties to the point at which he is turned feral and inhuman, ravenous for something to fuck and without care as to who or what that thing might be. The dominance of the state over the individual is expressed through its careful cultivation of Milos as the poor and starving executor made to do their bidding through the lens of helping his family survive, when the power structure wants nothing more than to see him corrupted and turned into an animal. Women, as creatures of affection and love, are brutalized, made to heel and take the abuse of the male's uncaring and violent impulses, all to underscore the state's wanton need to be the one and only power. Absolute and total dominance, and if you don't like it, we'll take your newborn child and rape it, too.<br />What else could come out of such horrible conditions? Flowers and love and lets-all-get-along? What a ridiculous argument to say that the movie is disgusting and horrid in one breath, and then in the other to condone the regular violence visited upon women and children across the globe because it might cost too much money to intervene, or we might lose a few soldiers (a group to which I belong, thank you very much). <br />To watch "A Serbian Film" is to recognize that our leaders' platitudes concerning Libya or Rwanda, or anywhere else in the world experiencing violence that is either condoned or ignored by the state, is to also recognize that those leaders are us. They are people, too, with families and children, and we maintain that fragile, unviolent repression only barely and at the whim of the state to which we belong.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288419379404406237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-76823420476705054792011-03-31T17:42:19.942-05:002011-03-31T17:42:19.942-05:00I watched the film a few days ago and I have a tho...I watched the film a few days ago and I have a thought or two about the experience. <br />Firstly, I suppose I have to say that I believe the filmmakers in their statements that "A Serbian Film" was about the three wars that most recently occurred in that part of the world. If I didn't believe them, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on in my review, because without the contextual blanket of half a million arrests/interrogations/internments, approximately 130,000 to 150,000 deaths, and approximately 20,000 to 50,000 women raped between '92 and 99...well, without those statistics, the film would lack teeth and consequently, veracity.<br /> <br />So, to those who would condemn it as brutal, shocking, horrific, etc, etc, recognize that the very few tough-to-watch things in the film occurred on a regular basis in and around Serbia for quite a large portion of the 90's. As I've recently told a friend, if that's what comes out of Serbia, let's give a camera to the filmmakers in Rwanda and be prepared to see what happens next.<br />Seen in the context of a world of violence the likes of which I have never experienced, I can only view the film as the expression of one man's complete and utter domination by external parties to the point at which he is turned feral and inhuman, ravenous for something to fuck and without care as to who or what that thing might be. The dominance of the state over the individual is expressed through its careful cultivation of Milos as the poor and starving executor made to do their bidding through the lens of helping his family survive, when the power structure wants nothing more than to see him corrupted and turned into an animal. Women, as creatures of affection and love, are brutalized, made to heel and take the abuse of the male's uncaring and violent impulses, all to underscore the state's wanton need to be the one and only power. Absolute and total dominance, and if you don't like it, we'll take your newborn child and rape it, too.<br />What else could come out of such horrible conditions? Flowers and love and lets-all-get-along? What a ridiculous argument to say that the movie is disgusting and horrid in one breath, and then in the other to condone the regular violence visited upon women and children across the globe because it might cost too much money to intervene, or we might lose a few soldiers (a group to which I belong, thank you very much). <br />To watch "A Serbian Film" is to recognize that our leaders' platitudes concerning Libya or Rwanda, or anywhere else in the world experiencing violence that is either condoned or ignored by the state, is to also recognize that those leaders are us. They are people, too, with families and children, and we maintain that fragile, unviolent repression only barely and at the whim of the state to which we belong.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288419379404406237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-58382504647393310332011-01-06T02:27:34.183-06:002011-01-06T02:27:34.183-06:00Man, I really need to post my review of this film....Man, I really need to post my review of this film.<br /><br />I thought it was a great movie and I HATE gory, pretentious movies like the Hostel and Saw series. I always said I can only stand gore if the story is engrossing and solid and here I was enjoying this one. Though it made me question just how messed up I must be to have actually liked this movie, ha!Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00576442516395608066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-16691775786707496092010-11-28T12:36:21.282-06:002010-11-28T12:36:21.282-06:00Igloo, sounds like your mind is made up and Jeff, ...Igloo, sounds like your mind is made up and Jeff, let me know how the internal struggle to watch or not to watch ends.Monster Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16512345969721307138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-77350275644346022452010-11-27T07:24:18.451-06:002010-11-27T07:24:18.451-06:00Great piece, MS - I'm still waffling on whethe...Great piece, MS - I'm still waffling on whether to expose myself to Serbian Film or not. I do feel that after taking it to task sight unseen, that I ought to judge it on its own terms. The internal battle continues...Jeff Allardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-39562560047020103772010-11-24T14:42:51.126-06:002010-11-24T14:42:51.126-06:00I'm going to watch this and enjoy it. probably...I'm going to watch this and enjoy it. probably even have as bit of a wank half way through.The Igloo Keeperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17357749925165000647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-28218305738335764312010-11-23T17:33:49.586-06:002010-11-23T17:33:49.586-06:00Just remember Cortez, what is seen cannot be unsee...Just remember Cortez, what is seen cannot be unseen! I don't know if I'll seek this one out but I will definitely check out the discussion.Monster Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16512345969721307138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-57727044009670374882010-11-23T15:43:08.259-06:002010-11-23T15:43:08.259-06:00Man, I'm really all over the place with this o...Man, I'm really all over the place with this one. I received a copy of it about a week ago and I'm not sure I want to see it now. I think I'm too terrified to watch it.<br /><br />There was a really interesting back and forth conversation on Brutal as Hell's review of the film awhile back. Apparently, the filmmakers are not as well intentioned as thought and the war/repression angle is suspect at best. <br /><br />Regardless, my curiosity keeps inching closer to pressing 'Play' on the DVD player.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295067283198824806.post-18939284571046793032010-11-23T14:46:02.580-06:002010-11-23T14:46:02.580-06:00Hi there, I just watched this movie last night. Yo...Hi there, I just watched this movie last night. You can guess where I watched it; in my computer because I hadn't the chance to see it in any cinema and I don't think any cinema will be very proud to screen this movie. Don't get me wrong I actually 'enjoy' the movie; yeah is though and gory with twisted porn but at the end is the life of a human being who battles with the ghost of his own profession. He was a porn star but he always was one step behind of what 'truly' and 'natural' porn is as vukmir claims. exposing his family to this world is just crazy becasue anything can happen with this kind of people who are behind the cameras, they're just not to be trust guys.<br /><br />The movie also has very good photography, good tense sequences as music too. Who hasn't watch a porno? Probably all of us had, but what kind of porno? Do we enjoy it? Do we want something different in this kind of movies?<br /><br />One of the thoughest escenes here envolves a baby (you can figure out what happens to him). I wasn't particulary shocked by this, at the end is just a movie but for sensible people who never in his/her entire life has come out of his rock thiw would be like kicking Jesus in the balls, an offense.<br /><br />I don't go around my friends and colleagues telling them that I liked this movie 'cause they would think I'm a pervert or freak just because I liked a kind of MOVIE that we don't feel good to watch but in the end, in the bottom of our subconscious mind we want to see this and that will wake or close forever our tastes in sex, love and art however you want.Ari S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09544565060259345867noreply@blogger.com