A Serbian Film is one of those movies that is gaining buzz mostly because of its subject material. People are calling it one of those films that after watching, you wish you can un-watch. They’re saying that it’s the most brutal, violent and disturbing film ever made. I was warned by a few people before watching it. They asked me if I was sure I wanted to watch it, because once I did, there was no going back. Perhaps the strongest warning I heard was that the film would ‘rape my soul’.
Well, I’m happy to say that I took the risk and gave the film a watch. And to be perfectly honest, it’s not as bad as people have been making it out to be. Sure it’s violent, disturbing, brutal and definitely not for the little ones but it won’t kill you. In fact, it’s actually a well made film that isn’t afraid to go to some dark places. It is no doubt a rough ride as director Srdjan Spasojevic doesn’t just cross lines, he creates new lines, limits that you never imagined, things you never thought would be committed to celluloid. But if you’re thick skinned, you may want to give this one a try.
It will undoubtedly scare off and send many into outrage, but don’t believe everything you hear. A Serbian Film is one of the most effective horror films that we’ve seen in a long time.
Click here to continue reading our theatrical review of A Serbian Film.
On Blu-Ray, the film is a bit of a letdown, to be honest. While the audio and video are fine, there are no special features. Worse yet, is that this isn’t even the uncut version of the film! The version we get here is still extreme and incredibly disturbing but it is NOT the full version, parts have been edited out.
In terms of audio and video, the film looks quite good. The crimson red blood is portrayed strongly while detail, especially facial, is quite good. Black levels are mostly accurate (despite a bit of crush) and skintones were alright but somewhat pale at times. It’s not exactly a visually appealing transfer, with most of the scenes lacking bright and vibrant colour, instead going for a drab palette, but it’s a fine transfer that for the most part, gets the job done.
As for audio, the film is fully in Serbian, with subtitles for those of us who don’t understand the language. There’s not much going on on the audio track, with the images doing most of the work in terms of conveying the emotion. The dialogue that is here is crisp and clear though and sound effects sound accurate. Not much else to say about this one in terms of audio but it’s not a bad transfer by any means.
Overall, the Blu-Ray of A Serbian Film is a bit of a mixed bag. The film itself is worth the watch but why we don’t have the unedited version I’ll never know. The lack of special features only further frustrates me and leads me to suggest that unless you really loved the film, the Blu-Ray may not be worth your money.
