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It’s in the nature of festivals that certain films build up an unstoppable wave of buzz; be it for stand out performances, record sales deals or a brake out talent that appears to have sprung from nowhere. Less often does that chatter focus on your level of endurance as a film watcher, as it has at SXSW this year for Srdjan Spasojevic’s A Serbian Film. More white knuckle ride than movie, I spoke with producer Nikola Pantelic & writer Aleksandar Radivojevic about the most shocking film I or anyone else saw this year (and probably will ever see).

A Serbian Film (2010)
An aging porn star agrees to participate in an “art film” in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.

I can not stress enough that this trailer is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Really, I’m not joking!

If you’re going to do a horror movie that matters, which is going to say something, you have to put the character through hell. You have to show him hell. What is the worst thing that could happen?

15 Responses to DN SXSW2010 – A Serbian Film

  1. miss d says:

    i’m too scared to click on this – is it as bad as requiem for a dream? i really want to click but can’t make myself do it!

  2. d says:

    Don’t click on it if your reference point is Requiem.. just don’t!

  3. Ryan Emmett says:

    the concept of this being compared to Requiem… yeesh. That’s like a Disney film in comparison it seems.

  4. John Marcher says:

    “Requiem for a Dream” is an excellent comparison, not because of the content, but because of the effect both films have upon the viewer, especially with their very sophisticated use of music to convey a sense of dread, becoming physically palpable as you watch both films.

    In fact, A Serbian Film is the best film I’ve seen since “Requiem for a Dream” came out and I would encourage people who appreciated the artistry of RFAD to check out ASF, as they are very similar cinematic experiences. Having said that, the events in ASF are far more shocking and disturbing than anything that takes place in RFAD.

  5. A Serbian Film will be playing at our upcoming film festival at Portage Theater in Chicago on Saturday, October 23rd. http://www.horrorsociety.com/festivals/

  6. Sef says:

    Is it more disturbing than “Antichrist” with Willem Dafoe? That’s probably the most disturbing film I’ve seen to date

  7. MarBelle says:

    It goes way beyond the disturbing scenes in Antichrist, way beyond.

  8. LMather says:

    This film brings out so many different emotions, it really digs deep inside you and it’s crazy!
    Obviously, the film is totally disturbing and you don’t forget about the scenes in a hurry, but it’s very, very creative. I suggest if you can see the artistry within the film, then you should watch it.

  9. MarBelle says:

    When I first saw this at SXSW it felt like I was part of a survivors group from some catastrophic event with the few shellshocked people who remained till the end. My initial reaction was to hate it and feel it was just extreme for the sake of it (as you can probably tell from my tone in the interview). After editing the interview, pondering the film & discussing it constantly in the following days, I think this is a brilliantly made film. I need to watch it again to confirm that but don’t think my nerves can take it.

  10. El Vez says:

    It’s definitely a film that deserves a 2nd watch…..if anyone has the stomach/willpower to watch it a 2nd time, let me know what you think as I’m not sure I can watch it again yet.

  11. Alex says:

    cannibal holocaust and salo are the 2 films that is disturbing. haven’t seen this yet but from the description of the graphic gore and violence people rave about, i might think this one sick.

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