Eliciting images of cancer, this drama explores the illnesses that plague modern Croatia. Four young junkies in Zagreb maturing in the wake of war reflect the petty hatreds, violence, prejudices and mood hanging over the country like a disease that spreads with no cure in sight.
Acting
Raw, lived-in performances that feel uncomfortably authentic.
Direction
Schmidt's unblinking eye refuses to look away from ugliness.
Writing
Dialogue so natural you'll forget you're watching fiction.
Director
Branko Schmidt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made just 14 years after Croatian independence, this captures a generation born into war's aftermath with no memory of peace—rarely exported, it's considered essential viewing for understanding post-Yugoslav disillusionment.
Rene Bitorajac (Krpa) and director Schmidt later publicly feuded over the film's interpretation—Bitorajac insisted his character's racism was environmental, Schmidt argued it was innate. The tension lives in every scene.
HR
