Selo bez zena

Srdjan Sarenac
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2011 | 83 min
Language : Serbian
Subtitle : English

Three Serb brothers are practically the only inhabitants of a mountain-top village. None of the local women would want to live there. Across the frontier, in Albania, the situation is reversed: all the men have emigrated, most of the population is female. Could a mixed marriage between “enemies” work? The filmmaker records this human comedy with respect and humour.

In southern Serbia, close to the border with Albania, three brothers live in an all-male village. None of the local women wants to live there because the material conditions – on a mountain top, four kilometres from the nearest road – are just too tough. Across the border, the opposite is true: the menfolk have gone off to work in Greece, while the women who remain live in conditions very similar to those of the three brothers. The brothers could therefore cross the border to find a partner, following the example of a near neighbour. But they fought in Kosovo during the war and are hesitant to do so. Could mixed marriages between “enemies” be made to work? Srdjan Sarenac focuses on a world ravaged by war and prejudice, presenting a view that is both serious and amusing. The situation is indeed dramatic, but the contradictions of the human soul also have their humorous side.

Luciano Barisone

Translation BMP Translations