deckokojiobecava
Lepa Sela Lepo Gore (1996) is probably the Serbian director's finest movie.Skilfully made story of the life and death of a few people in the few days of the civil war in Bosnia,and days (and years) that preceded it all. In the vein of classic Serbian black humour-filled dramas, and also tracking in the steps of the classic war (anti war) movies, this movie has it all really - good story (based on a true experience of one group of Serbian soldiers during the war) and a tight and slick photography and editing.An honest and entertaining war drama from start to finish, and ,as mentioned,this film nicely puts together feel of all the classic war films with almost QTs-early90s-films feel for this hard and thrilling ride into the hell of war. Good watch.8/10
Come_to Machine
From the perspective of most foreign viewers, including those from ex- Yugoslavia that are not Serbs, this might seem as a movie that idolizes war and the idea of the so called "Great Serbia". This movie only depicts use of mentioned ideas to inflame the hearts and minds of ordinary people to have them become ideology fulled machines, not for the sake of protecting ones native soil but to become a servant to selfish goals of the leading class. This is not a precedent but a pattern that is, and was, used throughout human existence by rulers and politicians.To be able to put aside prejudice and not let surface impressions guide you means to really understand this movie. Nation is an illusion meant to divide and there is no place like here that is more obvious. What we see are ordinary people, their differences, their mixed heritage and their fragile co-existence in a multicultural nation that once was Yugoslavia. The division between them begins when those who have power start pointing at the scars of the past which reach several hundred years into the past. They point their fingers and ask: what is a man without nation and is there a nation when both friend and foe both live in the same street,same town, same country? We see people pulled away from their lives, told a story to make them more obedient and pointed toward their neighbors, their friends with a rifle in their hands. It is a search for national identity, on a large scale, in a place and time when being just a man is no longer enough. We witness a change that occurred in the Balkans, an "earthquake" that shook and divided man and land that was the death of the former president of SFRJ Josip Broz Tito. A new horizon and new people, people who were no longer in shadows and who wanted power. Generations are drawn into this and we see the difference of perspective of the old militarized patriots and the youth which is deprived of their most significant years, fed a bunch of ideas and marched of to war. No tears are shed for that old regime but already they must fight for the new one. They all have one thing I common – songs, old songs that marked the whole entirety that was Yugoslavia, songs that all generations grew up with, marched on parades and danced to. Just songs, no Serbs, Muslims or Croats, just Slavs and their pain, but as men.The cast is comprised of some of the best ex-Yugoslavian and Serbian actors. They portray "normal" lives of men just trying to get by. Their past and how they got where they are is entwined with the story and develops slowly together with the story. They manage to flawlessly depict carnage, madness and lost cause from the start. Their vulgar language and behavior hides their disappointment in what is now and their fear of what is to come. They pillage, murder and are more beasts than soldiers, but are they that different from every other person who took up arms for the idea forced onto him? Still they ask questions, quiet ones and let some fragments of their human side, their youth surface and for that time they look through the sights of a riffle only to see a friend, a brother and still know that they must kill having faith in no one any more. On the other hand we see a different picture far from the front, from the killing. Civilians, untouched by war, their selfish preoccupations, pacifism and general disregard for those that are out there, fighting for all of them. One must ask a question: "why me?", and then hate the all, those who made you bleed and those who don't care. For this Balkans offers a unique setting and this movie takes full advantage of it by giving us a situations and mentality of people who have been shaken out of a dream and marched into the gauntlet!In directors words: this movie is dedicated to the cinema of a country that no longer exists. This movie might be the last work truly dedicated to that country, Yugoslavia, and it's demise. Filmed when the war was still raging on and based on a true story it strips men of their humanity and gives them new roles. Not a real war movie, nor an ideological brainwashing tool but an emotional remainder of what it costs to let power and personal ideals of others replace reason and human emotions.
bresnopolje
This is one of the best movies of ex-Yugoslav cinematography. Not 100% understandable for people who do not know anything about a civil war in ex-Yugoslavia, but this movie is truly a work of genius. This movie can make you laugh an cry in the same time. It's a shame this movie didn't get nominees for Oscar because the country was under sanctions by USA. For every single man, this movie is must have and must see. People of USA can see in this movie what did their government do to Yugoslavia. The war started because of USA and so did many more after the Yuglosavia Civil War. Now, as you can see, USA is destroying Serbia for no reason! After Kosovo crisis we will unfortunately have one more "Pretty Villages Pretty Flame"...
masterT
"Lepa Sela lepo gore" is one of the best movies which describes war in Bosnia and mental condition of soldiers who appears in war.People lived in harmony in Yugoslavia from the end of World War II until 1991. when Yugoslavia started to falling apart. Country was multi ethnic (Serbs, Croatians, Muslims,...) and representatives of three major ethnics groups Milosevic, Tudjman and Izedbegovic thought that for Yugoslavia will be best to split in few republics. Milosevic didn't accept this solution and declare war to Croatians and Muslims cause of their "terror" on Serbs. War begin... people who was best friends until yesterday started to shooting on each other because of stupid reasons. This movie presents those people who wanted to take a part in Bosnian War. Serbians best actors are in this movie and they acted best.I can't describe you movie that much you have to look for yourself mad things that were going on in ex-Yugoslavia from 1992-1995. Very good and sad movie about war.
