Hard to believe that Fantasporto is nearly over already. But it has been a very fun five days so far. Rumor has it (from the Portuguese websites) that HEARTLESS is the big winning of the competitive section … And I think it was the best film I saw in the festival, so I am quite pleased with that result. It is not a perfect film (I especially dislike a few of the music choices), but overall is quite inventive, creepy and well done. You can see the trailer here.
I also had the chance to see SERBIAN MOVIE (not in the festival, but privately). And I must say, it really is as transgressive and disturbing as people are saying. It is also very smart, cynical and well made. It reminded me of a 1980s David Cronenberg film, in a lot of ways.
SERBIAN MOVIE is the story of a former porn star who comes out of retirement for one last, extreme film, the plot of which the crazy director refuses to reveal. But it is obviously quite metaphorical, and is a statement about what has happened to Serbia over the past few years. Anti-capitalist, perhaps? Anti-something, for sure. It is a very graphic, brutal tale, but not like those dumb torture films, like SAW or HOSTEL.
(I am not sure if I would recommend watching the NSFW trailers, short or long, because I think they might give away too much. But they certainly give you a sense of how graphic and brutal this film is).
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