Whether this movie will be interesting to anyone outside Serbia, I do not know. For me, its main appeal is the fact that the protagonists are several people important for Serbian history. Let me say just a few words to try to describe what I mean.
Most of the movie takes place in Novi Sad. The main square of Novi Sad is (unofficially) Miletic's Square, dominated by the statue of the youngest mayor of the city in history. Almost each time you want to meet someone in the city center, you meet at Miletic's. Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj was one of greatest poets in Serbia, excelling both in children's and adult poetry. The most famous street in Novi Sad, reserved for pedestrians, starts from Miletic's square; it is called Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Street. Milica Tomic, Miletic's daughter, was one of the most prominent women in the political and social life of the time, and one of the first fighters for gender equality. Herself, Jasa Tomic and Misa Dimitrijevic also have important streets in Novi Sad named by them. So to watch their lives unfold should mean much to anyone from Novi Sad, especially knowing about their deep mutual connections. It is nice to compare this to the biopic of another Serbian poet, Laza Kostic, filmed several years ago, where some of these characters also appear significantly.
Now for the movie itself: I must admit I liked it very much. Like most Serbian historical movies, it has a sort of sterile look about it. What I mean is that much attention is given to costumes, scenography etc.; perhaps it all looks too perfect, not real-life like. However, this is annulled by great acting from some of the cast. First of all, Ljubomir Bandovic simply becomes Miletic, and his transformation toward the end, as the character deteriorates, is fascinating. Also, Zarko Lausevic excels as Zmaj, just as he did in most of his earlier roles. And the story itself seems to be quite faithful to the truth, possibly with one exception: it seems to me that Dimitrijevic is made a bad guy, while in reality he was also an important figure of the time; he simply took a more moderate path, which sometimes gives better results than the radical one.
To summarize: for anyone in Serbia, this is well worth watching. But it may be that this story will appeal to others as well.
Most of the movie takes place in Novi Sad. The main square of Novi Sad is (unofficially) Miletic's Square, dominated by the statue of the youngest mayor of the city in history. Almost each time you want to meet someone in the city center, you meet at Miletic's. Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj was one of greatest poets in Serbia, excelling both in children's and adult poetry. The most famous street in Novi Sad, reserved for pedestrians, starts from Miletic's square; it is called Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Street. Milica Tomic, Miletic's daughter, was one of the most prominent women in the political and social life of the time, and one of the first fighters for gender equality. Herself, Jasa Tomic and Misa Dimitrijevic also have important streets in Novi Sad named by them. So to watch their lives unfold should mean much to anyone from Novi Sad, especially knowing about their deep mutual connections. It is nice to compare this to the biopic of another Serbian poet, Laza Kostic, filmed several years ago, where some of these characters also appear significantly.
Now for the movie itself: I must admit I liked it very much. Like most Serbian historical movies, it has a sort of sterile look about it. What I mean is that much attention is given to costumes, scenography etc.; perhaps it all looks too perfect, not real-life like. However, this is annulled by great acting from some of the cast. First of all, Ljubomir Bandovic simply becomes Miletic, and his transformation toward the end, as the character deteriorates, is fascinating. Also, Zarko Lausevic excels as Zmaj, just as he did in most of his earlier roles. And the story itself seems to be quite faithful to the truth, possibly with one exception: it seems to me that Dimitrijevic is made a bad guy, while in reality he was also an important figure of the time; he simply took a more moderate path, which sometimes gives better results than the radical one.
To summarize: for anyone in Serbia, this is well worth watching. But it may be that this story will appeal to others as well.
