Serbia | Germany | Croatia | France | Slovenia 2013
Starts April 17, 2014
Directed by: Srdan Gobluovi
Writing Credit: Melina Pota Koljevi
Cast: Aleksandar BerÄ ek, Leon LuÄ ev, Hristina PopoviÄ , Vuk KostiÄ, NebojĹ a Glogovac, Boris IsakoviÄ , Srdan Golubovi
Length: 112 minutes
Gobluovi’s film details the concentric rings binding six people after a tragic incident of courage and cowardice, which took place in 1993 and today still haunt the small town of Trebinje, Bosnia Herzegovina.
A young Serbian soldier, Marko (Kosti), by chance in Trebinjeâ s town square on a lovely summer day, attempts to help a Muslim kiosk owner, Haris (Luev), who is harassed and then attacked, by racist Serbian soldiers on leave from the Bosnian War. Haris escapes but the soldiers turn on Marko and beat him to death. Six people are deeply affected by the murder: Marko’s father, Ranko (Berek), now a bitter man full of rage and hatred; Marko’s fiancée, Nada (Popovi), who blames Haris for what happened; Marko’s friend Neboja (Glogovac), now a successful surgeon; who watched the murder passively from the sidelines; Todor (Isakovi), the leader of the pack of bullies, now a wealthy black marketer, and a young man, Bogdan (Golubovi), who seeks work from Ranko, unaware that his father, killed in the war, was one of Markoâ s murderers.
It is 12 years later. Haris now lives in Germany with his wife and children. One day Nada appears at his door with her six-year-old son, seeking refuge from her violent husband. About the same time, in Trebinje, Bogdan is searching for a job and Todor, leader of the brutal gang, is brought to Neboja hospital near death
The gradual unfolding of the events tying these six together seeks to answer the universal questions: can there be forgiveness for murder? Will forgiveness even bring peace? Or is revenge, that deadly instinctive human reaction, the proper way for the living to avenge the unforgivable? Director Gobluovi keeps his audience in fascinated suspense, as he explores the answers.
Circles, nominated as the Serbian entry for the Oscars this year, won 18 prizes at film festivals in 2013, including the Grand Prix du Jury in Brussels, a Special Jury Award at Sundance, three Best Director Awards, and the Best Film Award at the Austrian Film Festival in Freistadt. It’s a terrific film and the actors, especially Aleksandar Berek, are outstanding. ()