User Reviews

Essentially a very poor copy of critically acclaimed TV series "Gruntovcani" (1975), the movie borrows Emir Kusturica's brand of Balkan surrealism to tell the burgeoning love story between a Serbian boar and a Croatian sow. In line with the unwritten rules of contemporary Croatian filmmaking, the movie ridicules perceived Croatian nationalism and is littered with vulgar and profane jokes targeting the Catholic Church. "Nosila je rubac crleni" continues the deplorable Croatian tradition of making movies for the purpose of receiving government funding and winning a prize at a national or "regional" film festival.

Finally a good Croatian comedy. This movie is not for the closed-minded and without a sense of humor. In order to watch the film, it is necessary to have some knowledge about the Croatian past and the Croatian Zagorje. Even those who don't know anything about it, but want to have fun and relax, I recommend this movie. It is a combination of serious topics, war, fear, loss and then, almost therapeutic, Zagorje's way of dealing with all of that. It also shows the relationship between humans and animals, which is actually the main theme of the film, the connection between domestic animals and their owners. "Telepathic communication" felt only by the owner and his chosen animal, especially expressed in people who are lonely and suffer emotional pain. The film is both a critique and a celebration of one and the same culture, made in a cute and picturesque way. Criticism of religion, presented in a humorous way, is in principle not a criticism but a representation of how people experience religion and how it is practiced in real life, in most cases. For someone who does not know Zagorje customs, it may seem like a criticism, in principle it is part of the culture.

The photography in the film, of scenes of nature and Zagorje, is phenomenal and encourages the viewer to automatically want to go on a trip to Croatian Zagorje. The actors are superb, authentic and some scenes seem more like a scene from the former real life or a documentary than acting.

Although the film is partly very serious, it must not be forgotten that practically most of it in the film is metaphorically expressed and serves as an artistic expression. Taking the way a movie is presented too literally can spoil the experience.