Na planincah (2004) Reviews

• Is this what Slovenians want to be or want us to think they are?

  przgzr2005-09-30

  Circumstances: Slovenians were hermetically sealed as a nation during decades while included in Yugoslavia; also considered cold as persons, polite but not too friendly if you were not one of them. Their movies were confirming that feeling: members of other nations could only get supporting unimportant roles. Even in movies about WWII that were made as only big productions in all Republics of Yugoslavia, proclaiming "Brotherhood of all nations", Slovenians stayed beside: a few of them were included in Serbian, Bosnian or Croatian movies only to fill the quota that was ordered "from above", while themselves they made rather few war movies, having mostly Slovenian actors as Slovenian partisans ignoring the others. Surprisingly, after Yugoslavia became history and Slovenians proudly approached Europe, they suddenly discovered other nations that lived beside them all the time. More and more movies and serials have been made with non-Slovenian characters in main roles, and relation between Slovenians and other nations became one of the most popular topics. No other nation seems to be interesting as much as Bosnians, because during decades they became a symbol of Balcan. Looking for job many of them came to Slovenia. They had low or no education, and their eastern mostly rural culture and life habits had nothing common with mostly urban western culture Slovenian people belonged to through centuries. Slovenians despised them, ignored their existence, but as they did all the lowest and heaviest jobs no native Slovenian would like to do, from cleaning streets, digging, working in public WCs etc., there was some kind of tolerance. When Slovenia became independent most of these people found themselves on the edge of legality and in position like Gipsies have been in most countries all the time. Movie (small spoilers included): "Na planincah" shows us rather uncommon situation: two boys come from Bosnia few years after war, not as refugees, but after their parents died in car crash. Also, they come from Mostar, an old town, and can't be compared to all those workers from middle Bosnian villages that Slovenians usually complain about. They are going to live with their uncle who has better job than most of Bosnians, his wife is Slovenian, and therefore well included in local community. So the boys don't have usual problems other members of their nation have. It's hard to say if this movie tries to promote tolerance between nations, or it tries to moderate picture of Slovenian xenophobia (if all Bosnians were like Sani and Ado, there would be no problems...). Unlike most Slovenian movies that cope with national relations this one isn't made too serious, it is a borderline coming-to-age comedy. Kids are shown equal as kids all around the world, it's not important if they are Slovenian, Bosnian, German, American, French... When you see kids on screen, they could have come from "Les turlupins", "Home Alone", "Min sosters born"; even adults don't seem to have problems usual in ex-com countries, or they don't worry much about them. This gives kid actors more chances to play, and most of them do it well, while older actors (some of them stars for local audience, like Zupancic or Nadarevic) give us just average performances. Photography reminds us how beautiful landscapes Slovenia has; but some other scenes are shot great too, like water pool, first kiss scene, or first day of school, that bring in our mind David Hamilton photos, his soft lenses and the way he uses light. "Na planincah" is a name of a folk song that was a symbol of Slovenia in its Yugoslavia years, and all the kids in Yugoslavia had to learn it. This movie seems to show us the way Slovenians would like us to see them, their country, towns, music. If you neglect it, there's not much left. But if you like coming to age movies made outside traditional countries for genre (France, Sweden, Czech r., USA, Spain...) you won't regret watching this one.