Ljeto u zlatnoj dolini (2003) Reviews

• No Future for Sarajevo?

  RobK-22004-02-02

  I saw this film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It's the first feature film of director Srdjan Vuletic. Vuletic, who was present at the screening, described the film as an ode to the city he loves: Sarajevo. The film's main character is young glue-sniffing Fikret. It's cynical to see that even in a world ruled by post-war chaos 'decadent' western influences are everywhere. Fikret dresses the way the gangster rappers dress in American rap videos shown on MTV. When Fikret's father dies a man appears at the funeral announcing that the father owes him a large sum of money. Muslim honor demands it should be paid before Fikret's father soul can rest in peace. After a unsuccessful attempt to rob an all-night supermarket Fikret's is contacted by a corrupt cop, who also happens to be the father of a girl he fancies. The cop has kidnapped a rich man's daughter and is using Fikret to hide her. In return he will help Fikret to pay off his debt. From here on the film shifts from an social-realistic drama to an exciting thriller against the background of the intense poverty of war-battered Sarajevo. Strangely enough this is not a depressing movie. At times it's quite funny and towards the end if offers some glimpses of hope. The fact that such an powerful and convincing story can be filmed with a great cast of local talents is certainly hopeful. I think we are gonna hear a lot more of director Vuletic.

• Better than City of God, Rane or Cabaret Balkan

  momisan2006-04-22

  This film is the best piece of cinema I have had the pleasure of seeing in a very, very long time, period. I enjoyed every minute of it! Yes, it beats the hell out of No Man's Land, my fellow reviewer! It's powerful, eloquent, entertaining and with a great sense of humor. Together with Rane and Normalni Ljudi (two Serbian equivalents), it shows amazing vitality of the people living in the Balkans. The strength to make laugh at its own expense and its stupidity that caused fratricidal carnage of the 90's. It is a true art at its best. The very fact that films of such quality are consistently coming out of this "backward region" are the best sign that all is not lost, just yet.

• The emergence of post war

  ambitten2004-09-28

  The film is really very good as it brings local actors and presents a crude reality of Sarajevo. It shows a city that still suffers the harmful effects of a recent war. Several ingredients are present to prove this:police corruption, kidnappings,urban violence, drug consumption and lack of perspectives. The film unveils all these elements in a very meaningful way through a boy who needs to dignify his family traditions and honour his father. The city landscape is also shown in the film and this makes it more interesting as people will be able to observe Sarajevo. The big question that the film presents is: how to survive/live in such an environment,dominated by post war scarfs,secular tradition and brand new western influences?

• Great movie!!!

  truwarrior2006-01-24

  I think this is a great movie. I watched it for the second time the other day and I liked it even better than before. I like the ability of the director to mix different genres very smoothly. The film starts as a social drama than turns into triller turns into love store and in the end turns into great action film. All that with great dose of humor. This is maybe the only Bosnian contemporary film that deals with present times, real people with real problems. And when it comes to depicting the reality of our society this film is literary unmatched. The actors are fine, cinematography is great, and fx scenes - yes, there are some scenes with fx in Bosnian movie - are fantastic. The only problem I have with the film is rhythm as from time to time from very fast scenes we go directly to very slow scenes and somewhere it doesn't work quite well. But, in the end, I hearty recommend it.

• A very realistic and humane drama that is far from corny

  philip_vanderveken2005-01-26

  "Ljeto u zlatnoj dolini" or 'Summer in the Golden Valley' as it is called in English is a very dark and grim movie. It certainly isn't a feel-good movie, but the story that it tells feels very authentic and realistic. It's about a teenage boy Fikret, who lives in post-war Sarajevo, where drugs, crime and corruption are the most important parts of life. He sniffs glue to escape from reality and all he really wants is to step on one of the airplanes that fly over the city, so he can fly away to a better world. His family has a hard time making a living and his father has just died. A man comes to the funeral and says that the father owed him a lot of money and that he wants it back. Because they don't have any money, the son will have to do some crimes... Than a corrupt cop asks him to help with the kidnapping of a girl, the daughter of some very rich people. If he and a friend hide the girl and take care of her, they will receive a lot of money. At first all they want is the money, but gradually Fikret falls in love with her... As I already said, this story will not really make you feel good, but that certainly doesn't mean this isn't a good movie. OK, it isn't really a masterpiece, but the actors did a fine job, the story is very good and believable and the way everything was shot is more than just OK. This movie is really something for you when you are interested in very realistic and far from corny dramas. Also when you are interested in how life in the Balkan now is, this may be the movie for you to watch. Personally I liked what I saw and I give it a 7.5/10