{"id":215111,"date":"2021-03-31T01:20:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T22:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film\/"},"modified":"2021-03-31T01:20:22","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T22:20:22","slug":"21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film\/","title":{"rendered":"#21 Things We Learned from the Movie Crypt Commentary for &#8216;A Serbian Film&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e73990ca49\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e73990ca49\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film\/#A_Serbian_Film_2010\" >A Serbian Film (2010)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film\/#Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\" >Best in Context-Free Commentary<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/21-things-we-learned-from-the-movie-crypt-commentary-for-a-serbian-film\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#21 Things We Learned from the Movie Crypt Commentary for &#8216;A Serbian Film&#8217;<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n                <\/aside>\n<p><!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 3.7.9--><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Welcome to\u00a0<\/i><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Commentary Commentary,<\/i><\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits his third favorite comedy of 2010, A Serbian Film<\/i>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Some films get a reputation, and even fewer deserve it \u2014 <strong><em>A Serbian Film<\/em><\/strong> is one of the latter. The film made a splash on the festival circuit back in 2010, and it was im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely a source of controversy for viewers and fun-haters alike. The extremely well-produced movie tells a grim, darkly comedic tale of ambition, regret, and the high price of edgy art. Director\/co-writer Srdjan Spasojevic has suggested that the film is a commentary on life in Serbia, saying essentially (and metaphorically) that the country\u2019s government ensures you\u2019re fucked when you\u2019re born, you\u2019re fucked while alive, and you\u2019re fucked when you die. Regardless, the end result is still incredibly entertaining, twisted as hell, and very, very funny.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, I may be alone in finding the film humorous, but there\u2019s no denying to my mind that its ridiculous extremes aren\u2019t meant to be taken so damn seriously. Long unavailable in its truly uncut form \u2014 previous Blu-rays have been trimmed by a couple minutes \u2014 it\u2019s been re-released by Unearthed Films in all its graphic glory. This time around, one of the extras is a commentary with filmmakers Joe Lynch and Adam Green, and the results are, well, different.<\/p>\n<p>Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for <em>A Serbian Film<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Serbian_Film_2010\"><\/span>A Serbian Film (2010)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Commentators: Joe Lynch (filmmaker\/fan), Adam Green (filmmaker\/most definitely not a fan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\"><strong>1.<\/strong> Lynch is a worldly fellow and has actually worked in Serbia more than once, but his ability to fuck up Serbian names is something truly special.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.<\/strong> Jelena Gavrilovic plays the protagonist\u2019s wife, and she also co-starred in Lynch\u2019s film <em>Everly<\/em> (2014). He hired her on the spot once he realized she was in this movie. She also voices one of the sisters in <em>Frozen<\/em> \u2014 Disney\u2019s 2013 feature, not Green\u2019s 2010 film \u2014 via the local dub.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.<\/strong> The film premiered at SXSW, and it was intro\u2019d by director Srdjan Spasojevic, Austin\u2019s favorite son Tim League, and five \u201clucky\u201d audience members, all of whom squeezed lemon juice into their eye before taking a shot to simulate the painful experience of watching the movie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.<\/strong> \u201cFamily is a huge thing in this film,\u201d says Lynch, adding that rewatching the movie since becoming a father to two kids has changed its effect on him in some ways. H<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ily, it hasn\u2019t prevented him from enjoying some of the film\u2019s darker sequences.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.<\/strong> Green seems to suggest around the five-minute mark \u2014 via surprised compliments on the look of the film \u2014 that this is his first viewing? Oh my. Lynch adds to the praise for the visuals contrasting it to other so-called nasties like <em>I Spit on Your Grave<\/em> (1978) which has zero artistic merits as far as its cinematography, lighting, production design, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.<\/strong> It was filmed in sixty-one days and independently funded meaning Spasojevic had complete control, for better or worse.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7.<\/strong> <em>A Serbian Film<\/em> was originally set to play LA\u2019s Fright Fest in 2010, but they were told to trim several minutes before it would be allowed to screen. The filmmakers instead canceled the screening as they didn\u2019t want to compromise their movie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8.<\/strong> The director\u2019s favorite shot in the film hits around 30:31 as Milos (Srdjan Todorovic) walks out of his house. It\u2019s inspired by a Sergio Leone film, presumably one featuring a character walking out of their house.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9.<\/strong> Lynch compares the film to both <em>Bowfinger<\/em> (1999) and <em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a><\/em> (1997) in the space of just two minutes. Bravo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10.<\/strong> The girl who appears at 33:17 is the director\u2019s daughter. \u201cI\u2019m so curious to talk to Srdjan about this,\u201d says Lynch who\u2019s convinced there must have been split screens or digital effects in play regarding some of the filming involving children. There most definitely was along with camera tricks, sharp editing, prosthetic figures, and more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11.<\/strong> The festival director for Sitges was arrested on suspicion of child pornography for planning to show <em>A Serbian Film<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12.<\/strong> Lynch saw the film on the big screen shortly before recording this commentary and was reminded how far it is from titillating. \u201cWatching it with a crowd, it\u2019s like my dick crawled up into my fucking intestines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>13.<\/strong> References keep flowing from Lynch as he mentions both Paul Verhoeven and Pier Paolo Pasolini in how the film approaches sex and nudity. They are known for \u201cusing sex, not as titillation, but as conflict between characters\u201d while also acknowledging as filmmakers that sex sells tickets. A Serbian Film takes a similar approach as while it\u2019s filled with nudity you\u2019d be hard-pressed to call it sexy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14.<\/strong> Lynch mentions that Spasojevic has been unable to find directing work since his debut feature as it essentially left him blacklisted. \u201cWell, yeah,\u201d responds Green. Per IMDB, Spasojevic has a horror\/western in pre-production, so hopefully that\u2019s still on track.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15.<\/strong> Green starts to lose his shit around the 47:00 minute mark \u2014 as the teethy oral sex ends \u2014 but he quickly recovers. This is his first watch, and despite him having a sense of what\u2019s coming I\u2019m nervously excited for his upcoming reaction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16.<\/strong> David Gordon Green and Danny McBride announced on April 1st, 2018 that they were remaking <em>A Serbian Film<\/em>. Odds are some people fell for the April Fool\u2019s Day prank.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17.<\/strong> Lynch stops speaking as one of the film\u2019s most infamous scenes begins and just enjoys Green\u2019s reaction which is essentially this: \u201cOh my god. This is really gross. I mean, <em>Children of Men<\/em> did this, to some extent. [sigh] No. No, no, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Come on. Oh my god. No. This is fucking awful. This is so bad. [sound of vomiting].\u201d To be clear, Green is apparently sick during the recording from the flu, but still\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>18.<\/strong> Lynch likens the three-day jump in Milos\u2019 experience to the kind of mystery you find in a Christopher Nolan film as a man struggles to remember what\u2019s happened to him, and it\u2019s yet another concept that \u201celevates this movie above what you\u2019d normally expect from just another exploitation movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>19.<\/strong> Lynch recalls working with a prop-maker while working in Serbia, and the man shared with him a bubble-wrapped item from <em>A Serbian Film<\/em> \u2014 \u201cit was the baby.\u201d Side note, that same <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhorrors.com\/you-can-now-own-that-baby-from-a-serbian-film\/\">baby prop went up for auction<\/a> sometime in 2018, and the odds are pretty good that Lynch bought it on the down low for his private collection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20.<\/strong> Speaking of props, I have to give a shout out to Lynch\u2019s willingness to comment on the sound design of a certain infant-related scene. It\u2019s a ballsy thought to share aloud, but more than that it\u2019s a legitimate nod towards the craft and detail that went into the film. It leads Green to heave again, and I\u2019m not going to quote it here, but mad respect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21.<\/strong> Lynch believes the film\u2019s third-act structure, the time jump through the flashbacks, \u201cbegs for a repeat viewing.\u201d He sees it as the kind of writing and filmmaking that many would typically ascribe to a higher classed type of cinema, and he adds that it\u2019s all in service of themes that wouldn\u2019t be given a shot in a more traditional and grimy piece of exploitation. \u201cThe style of the movie is the sugar that makes the medicine go down.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\"><\/span>Best in Context-Free Commentary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote\">\u201cThere\u2019s a child watching this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re watching some extreme shit here, and it shouldn\u2019t look good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are things about cinema in this that are far smarter and intelligently laid out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s the P.T. Anderson of porn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone put a light meter to that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis guy\u2019s got issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdam is vomiting while Arwen is humping the rat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s holding his dick hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens next is as brutal as anything that I\u2019ve seen in a movie, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings are going to be a little complicated at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have nothing left to throw up at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">I\u2019m not entirely sure if Green\u2019s reactions \u2014 his very visceral reactions \u2014 are real or staged here, but they\u2019re fitting for a first-time watch of <em>A Serbian Film<\/em>, and that goes for his dog Arwen\u2019s occasional (and very squeaky) humping of a rubber rat during the recording as well. Either way, though, it\u2019s an entertaining listen as Lynch\u2019s enthusiasm for the film goes beyond a simple appreciation for the exploitative thrills. He talks about the craftsmanship, story intent, color palette, and more, and while he doesn\u2019t see it as the hilarious comedy that I do, he appreciates it in smart, well thought-out ways. The film remains an unforgettable watch, and this commentary, whether or not it\u2019s a bit, is an equally memorable listen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Read more Commentary Commentary from the archives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/a-serbian-film-commentary\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-serbian-film-commentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#21 Things We Learned from the Movie Crypt Commentary for &#8216;A Serbian Film&#8217;&#8221; Welcome to\u00a0Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits his third favorite comedy of 2010, A Serbian Film. Some films get a reputation, and even&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/A-Serbian-Film.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[100158,100159,100160],"class_list":["post-215111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-a-serbian-film","tag-adam-green","tag-joe-lynch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}