Genre/Genres: Thriller, Horror
Director: Srdjan Spasojevic
Personal Rating: 9/10
Synopsis:
A Serbian Film centers around the character of Milos (SrđanTodorović) who is a semi retired porn star. Whilst looking to turn his career in a different direction, he agrees to a job given by a big time director; Vukmir (Sergej Trifunović). The Job is only described as an "art film" but Milos isn't allowed to enquire into the nature of the film. However, to Milos's horror he finds that he is drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia based snuff film of which there is no getting out of.
Which two scenes impressed me the most and why?
-The first scene that I was really impressed with was the climactic scene where the big reveal is shown to the audiences of Milos having sex with his own son alongside his own brother Marko (Slobodan Beštić). I found this scene really interesting because it completely tears away from Vladimir Propp and Tzvetan Todorov's classical Hollywood narrative theory. The film doesn't end with a happy ending, in fact it's quite a sad ending as Milos kills himself and his family in order to escape from the horror that has bestowed upon them.It's completely unexpected and exactly what horror should do, make people shudder and feel uncomfortable. It uses cinematic techniques such as restricted narration when Milos penetrates the antagonist's eye socket with his own penis during the fight scene. It's sickening to watch yet, slightly captivating. The whole movie focuses on the gorey and the taboo which are both used commonly within horror movies, an example of this would be the necrophilia aspect of the movie with Milo and his son towards the the end of the movie. It's this that helps drive up the horror aspect of the film. It also utilizes the use of creepy locations, the setting of this scene is in a grey abandoned warehouse which has an element of loneliness to it. It isn't an inviting setting for the audience and it would be somewhere where bad things usually happen within horror movies, an example of this would be the movie The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011) where we see this gray warehouse in which the centipede is moving around, it's dark and dingy and very uninviting. The Mise-en-scene of this part is very minimal, we have a mattress in the middle of the room, the camera in which the "art film" is being filmed by, and the bag over the victims heads. I feel the lack of props used here really helps to bring out the emptiness of Milos as a character and the sleaziness of this scene altogether.
-The second scene that really impressed me was the final scene in which we as an audience witness the death of the "happy Serbian family", Milos's son Petar (Luka Mijatović) is placed in the middle between Milos and his
mother Marija (Jelena Gavrilović) who both have their hands on the trigger of a gun. This scene was also very unexpected and was a huge shock for me as spectator, again it breaks away from Propp and Todorov's narrative theory, because of its very downbeat ending. I felt this scene was strangely good for the movie, as it was a way of showing a way out of their hardships as a family, they died together as a result of this. However they are actually subjected to the entire process again by being part of another "art film" with another necrophiliac and a movie camera. The scene again follows the rest of the movie with its downbeat tone and makes the audience shudder as you watch their death which is what a horror movie should do. Cinematic techniques used are restricted narration as you don't actually see the gunshot penetrate their skulls, however you are shown the bloody aftermath of the family as they lie in their beds, it completely breaks the boundaries as opposed to early censoring of movies with the Hays code, this film contrasts that brilliantly. The sound used for the gunshot is diegetic as the camera uses an extreme close up of the trigger as the shot is sounded. The gun used is a phallic symbol as it connotes the duty of the man (Milos) to end the family's suffering once and for all. The mise-en-scene used here is also in complete contrasts in comparison the scene listed above, as opposed to an empty warehouse we are located in the family home, with all their possessions which actually gives the scene a homely feel as opposed to the loneliness of the other scene. The taboo is also used again here as it deals with the topic of suicide with the family killing themselves, and by using both gore and taboo; Srdjan Spasojevic really captures the true horror genre with this movie. Janet Steiger's "Audience Studies" theory also comes into play here and particularly her words in her book Interpreting Films (1992) where she mentions the term Polysemy. Spasojevic wanted people to see how Milos's family were suffering so he put an end to it but some audiences may see this as a downbeat ending as opposed to an ending where the family found happiness through their gorey demise.
How has watching this film helped me understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did I spot in the film? When? How?
The film's ideologies and beliefs are far from the CDI. For example the topics and subjects of the film as aforementioned are both controversial and taboo. It deals with necrophilia, incest and suicide. Also, acts sadism play key parts during the heavier and more uncomfortable scenes of the movie. An example of this would be the scene in which Milos is beating his wife during the first time we see them together. As far as the characters in this movie go, I'd say that Milos is somewhat of a male hero in the sense that he took on the job to bring money in for his family and he chooses to end all of their suffering at the end of the movie with the gun scene. A lot of restricted narration is used within the movie too to cover up some of the more taboo scenes of the movie but keep the audiences minds peaked. An example of restricted narration would be during the scene where Milos's brother is in the bathroom masturbating, and even though we don't see it happening the audience feels perverse being in that private moment, it adds an element of griminess to the movie. As for the locations of the movie, there are lot of them that are used such as the dark street which has low key lighting to create a sense of fear for the audiences after the scene in the warehouse takes place. This movie as helped me understand this genre of filmmaking in the sense that the word 'Horror' derives from the latin word 'Horrere' which translates as 'to shudder'. This movie has uncomfortable scenes and isn't afraid to push boundaries which is why is is still outright banned in countries such as Spain, Finland and Malaysia. That alone is what I personally believe a good horror movie consists of, to the point where countries are scared to release your movie, the point of a horror movie is to shock and scare, and make people feel uncomfortable, and this movie; though its use of sexual violence, gore and political correctness has shown me what power the horror genre has within cinema.
Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? why?
As aforementioned within my review, I think A Serbian Film is a great modern example of the horror genre, so I would like to borrow some of the elements within this film to cleverly use within my own almost to pay homage to it. For me I really liked the big reveal at the end of the movie, it was a big shocker which is what I ultimately want to do with my horror trailer, I want to shock people and make people feel uncomfortable. So I think in that context, the idea of mystery is a good one to use within the horror genre, the whole mystery factor can really be played on to get the most out of a movie and the audience reaction wise. I want to push boundaries and keep people guessing whilst only revealing the extent of the narrative at the end of the trailer.
Another aspect of the movie I really enjoyed and thought worked well were the special effects that are used, specifically the body horror effects. One that I thought was both difficult to watch yet effective was when Milos was smashing the directors head in. The blood wasn't too light, and it actually looked like blood, as opposed to movies like Heat Stroke (2008) in which the blood was CGI and had a pink tint to it. These effects in A Serbian Film were practical however and more hands on with a Tom Savini edge to them. The blood effects were good and overall didn't give a comical edge to a good movie. So I would like to replicate the use of the body horror effects within my trailer, and look at how the effects were done in this movie so I can produce up to scratch effects within my own trailer.
Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? why?
I'd wish to avoid any possible links to the darker and more controversial topics that this movie used such as Necrophilia and Pedophilia, whilst they may be good topics for a horror movie on a major scale budget, I do not believe they'll translate that well for a college piece of coursework. Also the key factor as to why I want to steer away from these is that they aren't really conventions of a slasher movie or an action horror. I think that you can make people shudder and feel uneasy without delving into the controversial and taboo, especially since the setting for the trailer is within a church.
I'd also like to avoid including a in depth visuals of 'xxx' related content. I don't feel that I need this in order to achieve 'horror' but instead could focus upon the violent side as opposed the sexual exploitation within many horror movies. Whilst on the topic, I wouldn't consider a blend either of sexual fuelled violence, for it wouldn't fit within the context of my trailer, it would seem as though it was placed there because it can be placed there. Whilst some elements of nudity within "red-band" trailers i used to portray the loose morals of characters, a lot of it could be deemed as straying away from the horror genre, and deriving into the category of "torture porn" such as The Human Centipede (2009).
What was the best aspect/ more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?
I think the best aspect of the movie was the final battle in which we see Milos brutally beat the men behind this sick idea of an "art film". It had the male hero character type within it with Milos beating the men that subjected him to the horrors he underwent and also a final girl whom was once a victim which was interesting. Of course, by this I mean the character of Milo's wife, Marija. Marija is an interesting character because there is interesting character development with her, she starts off by being the female victim character used within horror movies such as when Milos beats her, but she transforms into this final girl where she rips out a man's throat in the climax. As for the 'monster' of the movie, I would say that it was the role of the director; Vukmir. Whilst he isn't a monster in the classical 1930's Hollywood sense such as Dracula, he still behaves in a dark and foreboding manner so as for the character types, I would depict him as the Quick, smart monster because he does what it takes for his "film" to be good. The body horror in this scene effects wise is really nice and very effective. We see the use of restricted narration blended perfectly with body horror when Milos penetrates a camera man's eyeball with his penis, and whilst you don't see it the sound effect is enough to piece together what is happening, the camera then cuts back to a mutilated eye socket with blood around it, and it looks real which adds to the gritty horror aspect of this movie. I really liked the location for this scene, the dark and empty warehouse, the lighting contributes a lot to this scene too, it's dark but with motivated lighting to create shadows around the outskirts of the warehouse, as though this seedy audience is watching, it looks creepy and adds another great creepy element to this horror film. For me personally, I liked the themes of the movie, I liked how Srdjan Spasojevic held nothing back whilst creating this and threw in a lot of taboo subjects with the necrophilia and the incest. I enjoyed the brutality of it all, and how you're forced to watch it much like Milos is forced to take part in Vukmir's film. Another thing I really enjoyed about this scene was the cinematography, it used a lot of close ups to show the emotion of Milos in particular towards the activity, but when his brother is revealed the use of close ups help to capture that horrible surprise. We also see a lot of expressionist angles used with the sexual act in this scene to help convey the skewed nature of the situation.
How has watching this film helped me understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did I spot in the film? When? How?
The film's ideologies and beliefs are far from the CDI. For example the topics and subjects of the film as aforementioned are both controversial and taboo. It deals with necrophilia, incest and suicide. Also, acts sadism play key parts during the heavier and more uncomfortable scenes of the movie. An example of this would be the scene in which Milos is beating his wife during the first time we see them together. As far as the characters in this movie go, I'd say that Milos is somewhat of a male hero in the sense that he took on the job to bring money in for his family and he chooses to end all of their suffering at the end of the movie with the gun scene. A lot of restricted narration is used within the movie too to cover up some of the more taboo scenes of the movie but keep the audiences minds peaked. An example of restricted narration would be during the scene where Milos's brother is in the bathroom masturbating, and even though we don't see it happening the audience feels perverse being in that private moment, it adds an element of griminess to the movie. As for the locations of the movie, there are lot of them that are used such as the dark street which has low key lighting to create a sense of fear for the audiences after the scene in the warehouse takes place. This movie as helped me understand this genre of filmmaking in the sense that the word 'Horror' derives from the latin word 'Horrere' which translates as 'to shudder'. This movie has uncomfortable scenes and isn't afraid to push boundaries which is why is is still outright banned in countries such as Spain, Finland and Malaysia. That alone is what I personally believe a good horror movie consists of, to the point where countries are scared to release your movie, the point of a horror movie is to shock and scare, and make people feel uncomfortable, and this movie; though its use of sexual violence, gore and political correctness has shown me what power the horror genre has within cinema.
Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? why?
As aforementioned within my review, I think A Serbian Film is a great modern example of the horror genre, so I would like to borrow some of the elements within this film to cleverly use within my own almost to pay homage to it. For me I really liked the big reveal at the end of the movie, it was a big shocker which is what I ultimately want to do with my horror trailer, I want to shock people and make people feel uncomfortable. So I think in that context, the idea of mystery is a good one to use within the horror genre, the whole mystery factor can really be played on to get the most out of a movie and the audience reaction wise. I want to push boundaries and keep people guessing whilst only revealing the extent of the narrative at the end of the trailer.
Another aspect of the movie I really enjoyed and thought worked well were the special effects that are used, specifically the body horror effects. One that I thought was both difficult to watch yet effective was when Milos was smashing the directors head in. The blood wasn't too light, and it actually looked like blood, as opposed to movies like Heat Stroke (2008) in which the blood was CGI and had a pink tint to it. These effects in A Serbian Film were practical however and more hands on with a Tom Savini edge to them. The blood effects were good and overall didn't give a comical edge to a good movie. So I would like to replicate the use of the body horror effects within my trailer, and look at how the effects were done in this movie so I can produce up to scratch effects within my own trailer.
Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? why?
I'd wish to avoid any possible links to the darker and more controversial topics that this movie used such as Necrophilia and Pedophilia, whilst they may be good topics for a horror movie on a major scale budget, I do not believe they'll translate that well for a college piece of coursework. Also the key factor as to why I want to steer away from these is that they aren't really conventions of a slasher movie or an action horror. I think that you can make people shudder and feel uneasy without delving into the controversial and taboo, especially since the setting for the trailer is within a church.
I'd also like to avoid including a in depth visuals of 'xxx' related content. I don't feel that I need this in order to achieve 'horror' but instead could focus upon the violent side as opposed the sexual exploitation within many horror movies. Whilst on the topic, I wouldn't consider a blend either of sexual fuelled violence, for it wouldn't fit within the context of my trailer, it would seem as though it was placed there because it can be placed there. Whilst some elements of nudity within "red-band" trailers i used to portray the loose morals of characters, a lot of it could be deemed as straying away from the horror genre, and deriving into the category of "torture porn" such as The Human Centipede (2009).
What was the best aspect/ more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?
I think the best aspect of the movie was the final battle in which we see Milos brutally beat the men behind this sick idea of an "art film". It had the male hero character type within it with Milos beating the men that subjected him to the horrors he underwent and also a final girl whom was once a victim which was interesting. Of course, by this I mean the character of Milo's wife, Marija. Marija is an interesting character because there is interesting character development with her, she starts off by being the female victim character used within horror movies such as when Milos beats her, but she transforms into this final girl where she rips out a man's throat in the climax. As for the 'monster' of the movie, I would say that it was the role of the director; Vukmir. Whilst he isn't a monster in the classical 1930's Hollywood sense such as Dracula, he still behaves in a dark and foreboding manner so as for the character types, I would depict him as the Quick, smart monster because he does what it takes for his "film" to be good. The body horror in this scene effects wise is really nice and very effective. We see the use of restricted narration blended perfectly with body horror when Milos penetrates a camera man's eyeball with his penis, and whilst you don't see it the sound effect is enough to piece together what is happening, the camera then cuts back to a mutilated eye socket with blood around it, and it looks real which adds to the gritty horror aspect of this movie. I really liked the location for this scene, the dark and empty warehouse, the lighting contributes a lot to this scene too, it's dark but with motivated lighting to create shadows around the outskirts of the warehouse, as though this seedy audience is watching, it looks creepy and adds another great creepy element to this horror film. For me personally, I liked the themes of the movie, I liked how Srdjan Spasojevic held nothing back whilst creating this and threw in a lot of taboo subjects with the necrophilia and the incest. I enjoyed the brutality of it all, and how you're forced to watch it much like Milos is forced to take part in Vukmir's film. Another thing I really enjoyed about this scene was the cinematography, it used a lot of close ups to show the emotion of Milos in particular towards the activity, but when his brother is revealed the use of close ups help to capture that horrible surprise. We also see a lot of expressionist angles used with the sexual act in this scene to help convey the skewed nature of the situation.
I'd like to try and recreate the gore effects used without the use of CGI, I prefer the hands on practical body horror effects as opposed to the ones created by computers, so I wish to use that to help boost the nature of my action horror. I feel the gore use will help to boost that sickly feeling people get when watching horror movies, and really build up the horror within my trailer. I'd quite like to use the close ups in the same way this film used them with the climactic scene, I want to capture that emotion that characters have, because to help build a bond between character and audience and then completely destroy that by revealing their "true colours" will create a real sense of nastiness for my main villain.
No comments:
Post a Comment