Yugoslavia is one country I know only a little history about. However, this movie was done in 1992, probably the best time to do a film on this subject. Tito was the Croatian-born leader who led Yugoslavia for about four decades after World War Two. Yugoslavia was Marxist-Communist, but not having as strong ties to Moscow as other Communist countries in eastern and southern Europe.
The beginning of the movie is very light hearted and funny. Zoran's parents are dancers who live in very close proximity to another family in Belgrade, the largest city and capital of Yugoslavia. His parents are in love, but argue. His grandparents live in separate houses, but still come over for the family meal. There is no privacy, and the two mothers argue incessantly with one another because of having to be living in such cramped quarters.
There are very funny comments, such as when his father loses his job at the ballet and finds a job at a jazz nightclub. This leads his Mom to be jealous that he is having affairs with lots of women and they have a big argument. Although not dirt poor, like in many Communist countries most people are always at the edge of poverty. The son, named Zoran, even eats the wall literally to get nutrients.
Zoran is a ten year old boy, but despite not getting all his nutrients, is a bit overweight. This gets him labeled and called all kinds of names. His big passion is a crush on an older girl who grew up in an orphanage.
This leads to the second and main part of the film, the adulation of Tito totally dominates the society. His teacher in his classroom even goes so far to teach her kids the name of Tito's cows in the village he came from. When Tito finds out the girl he has a crush on is leaving for two weeks to participate in the Young Pioneer's camping trip to the birthplace of Tito, he is devastated.
But sort of like the Red Rider BB Gun essay in Christmas Story, Tito finds his ticket when the winner of the best essay praising Tito in his class will be able to go on this camping trip. Zoran makes sure he writes so good an essay that he not only gets to go, but has written the best essay in all of Belgrade. He goes so far as to say that he loves Tito more than his parents.
His parents are very offended when they hear he prefers Tito to his parents. For the first time it intrudes that maybe not everyone is totally happy with the political regime in Yugoslavia. But, still Zoran is merrily sent off on the train to camp where he finds the girl he loves. He is so in love with the girl that he had secretly given his grandmother's valuable ring to her.
The leader of the pioneers is named Raja. He is a very cowardly and obedient servant of the state. He is very charming, but the movie soon turns tragic because Zoran is overweight and cannot keep up with the group. He soon becomes seen as a nonconformist and threat to the group and the Yugoslavian state. Staying in the palace of a disgraced aristocrat, Raja dresses up as a ghost to scare the kids, and the kids knock over all kinds of priceless statues when they flee around the house in terror. The aristocratic owner stupidly informs the police. The police tell the aristocrat to buzz off or they will drag him in and beat him up, but the incident embarrasses Raja, who sees this as both a slight to his authority and makes him look too close to a disgraced aristocratic in the state. In authoritarian states, it is extremely important to save face and look in control. Minor disputes with someone, especially someone seen as right wing to the state, can lead to arrest and humiliation.
Sadly, Raja scapegoats ten year old Zoran and uses his romance with the girl, his slowness in keeping up with the group, and even his going to a church to pray over the fact that he is being now labeled as a troublemaker in the group, as all part of his devious plot to fool people into thinking that he is devoted to Tito.
This part is most sad, and it is very hard not to feel a great deal of sorrow of a poor ten year old, who through his innocence, becomes a scapegoat for his inability to completely conform.
The ending is very significant. Raja is arrested, because he is seen as incompetent in his control of the group and commits suicide. Zoran gets to meet Tito at the palace, but when all the kids run to Tito, Zoran realizes for the first time that the political regime is using these kids to prop up the state through their worship and devotion to Tito. Zoran realizes that the state is not about innocence, youth, and about promoting the image of a great leader who all should totally admire and be devoted to, but beneath that brutality and pain to those who cannot conform and go along with it all. So, in defiance, Zoran goes off to another room filled with food to eat.
The movie is interesting, because although Yugloslavia is not as undemocratic as most of the other Communist states of the time, it is still a place where there is a thin line between getting along with regime and being seen as an obstacle.
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