Yugotrip

There are films that are borne entirely by their protagonists and this is certainly one of them. The ‘Yugo’ in the title is Dejan, who fled the war in the Balkans and now lives in Cologne. Dejan’s ‘trip’ is the permanent stupor he seeks in drugs and alcohol to contain his memories of the war in Bosnia. But his visions pursue him even when he is very drunk. He seems driven by a death wish and has no boundaries or standards. When he meets the younger Anna, Dejan makes a halfhearted attempt to change. He is not even that much older than Anna, but the war and his lifestyle have left their mark on his face. The demanding role of Dejan is played by Stipe Erceg (who can also be seen in The Edukators), and he does it so believably that you will almost find yourself worrying about him. Yugotrip is not an appealing film. It’s rough and occasionally as unsteady as Dejan’s intoxication. Dejan is, of course, not a nice guy, and not even a real war victim. The review of Yugotrip in the film magazine Variety was strikingly negative, almost hateful. The review predicted that only the most masochistic of festivals would want to screen the film, providing Rotterdam with yet another definition. (GjZ)