I love this retro show. the cast is great, as well as the stories of the long episodes. it deals with the 80's in zagreb and yugoslavia. mostly focused on the life in zagreb so far, but indirectly also with the rest of yugoslavia. anica dobra is stunning and such a charismatic and gifted actress. can't wait to watch the new season! they should also make some episodes in other ex-yugoslav cities, to make it even more interesting for the people who are not from croatia (this tv show is being broadcasted in bosnia and serbia as well).
10 Reviews
Amazeballs! 😍
Iwona24037 February 2019
This is by far the most original Croatian show EVER! It is absolutely fresh and funny. The character development is amazing! I'm enjoying every second of it and can't wait to see more and more! Actors are doing great job. Don't get me even start with scenario, so original and realistic. Thank you for making my Mondays better!
Review
kristijan-bozic19 March 2015
Best TV-series I have ever seen, so realistic, great actors and the only reasons some people don't want to see it is political or they don't like 80's way of life. Old cars, way of leading companies and problems in families are real and everyone can recognize themselves if they lived in 1980's. A lot of kids like to watch it too because they want to see how they parents lived. And one more great thing about this series is cooperation between Yugoslav different countries and an attempt to improve relations between former Yugoslav countries (cooperation of actors and story from 80's).I hope you'll like it to. Definitely worth seeing!
Witty and likable homage to Yugoslavia
milos19176 August 2015
It's not in any way a marvel of cinema, nor does this show leave anyone speechless, but it's not intending to, it's a nice and likable homage to Yugoslavian culture and what it meant to teenagers at the time. I think that it shouldn't be watched outside of that context. It's meant to remind the people who were teenagers at the time the show takes place (early 80s) how things were and bring back memories, and to show the younger generation everything their parents have been talking about, Utopian socialistic country.
At first, the show was a bit corny and made me cringe, they wanted to give so many references to that time, forcefully putting remarks into dialogue, which I cannot imagine anyone would do, at that or any other time. It truly was cringe-worthy and almost made me stop watching the show.
But later, it gets a lot better, they went past that barrier and actually put more emphasis on the psychological aspects of characters, but still, they are pretty vacant considering it's a comedy/drama show, so everyone is just having fun, or at least trying to.
Idea of two journalists meeting different celebrities is ingenious, the spontaneity of meetings is highly satisfying and the adventures of those two guys is probably the best thing in the show so far.
All in all, show worth watching once a week, nothing spectacular but still very entertaining, especially to those in love with the way of life in the golden 80s of Yugoslavian culture.
At first, the show was a bit corny and made me cringe, they wanted to give so many references to that time, forcefully putting remarks into dialogue, which I cannot imagine anyone would do, at that or any other time. It truly was cringe-worthy and almost made me stop watching the show.
But later, it gets a lot better, they went past that barrier and actually put more emphasis on the psychological aspects of characters, but still, they are pretty vacant considering it's a comedy/drama show, so everyone is just having fun, or at least trying to.
Idea of two journalists meeting different celebrities is ingenious, the spontaneity of meetings is highly satisfying and the adventures of those two guys is probably the best thing in the show so far.
All in all, show worth watching once a week, nothing spectacular but still very entertaining, especially to those in love with the way of life in the golden 80s of Yugoslavian culture.
This has no business being this magically good
maaa-5193531 January 2021
Yugoslavia(Croatia) during the 80's is an experience only us who lived there and then, can understand. It is, in a word, undescribable. Like the rest of the world is just a pale reflection of everything this time and place was.
And you know what, this series somehow manages to make it happen. It is transferring the viewer back in utterly masterful ways.
Nostalgia
dzonikg2811 July 2022
I was teen in 80s in Yugoslavia so this series for me hit me hard.. Like I lived all that again.. You watch series but also your own long forgotten memories come 2 light again. Best Croatian series...only series In last 20 year that I waited 2 watch every week.. Now i watch it again. Off course is not best series ever but it describes very well most interesting and productive period in this places.
Amazing movie
bacich-5651013 April 2021
Great production. Something different in Eastern Europe. Great way to show younger generation life in Yugoslavia in that times! Music, dialogs, picture...all in every epizode is part of history! Interesting story also!
Great on-going series that definitely needs better marketing
fakeimmigrant9 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
*This post doesn't contain any specific spoilers but does make references to certain character developments that could be viewed as such*
I'm not Croatian (but I am an Ex-Yu), so I came across this series thanks to a random post on Reddit. In about two weeks I binged through all the available episodes (at the time of this post, we're four episodes into season 4) and I absolutely love the series. This is an interesting and pretty detailed look into one part of then Yugoslavia just as Tito is dying and the country begins to really see the changes that his death will cause.
The story focuses on an extended family now split into two. On one side, you have Jura and his second-wife Jagoda (who is also Serbian), who has a daughter from her first marriage (Una). On the other side, it's Jura's first-wife Ksenija and her new husband Dominik. Connecting the two Jura and Ksenija's children, Kipo the elder, a student reporter in the middle of his mandatory military service and younger Zac, who's in secondary school.
Rounding out the core cast are Zungul, an aspiring photographer and Kipo's best-friend, and Dunja, Ksenija's best friend and neighbour, and who is also the sister of Dominik. Later in the series, Nenad, Zac's best friend, and Marina, Kipo's long-sought after love interest, get more involved with the storyline.
Each season thus far focuses on different years of the 80s. Season one starts just as we are entering the 1980s, while season four begins in mid-1985. The show does a great job of connecting the characters to events that happened in the country during this time frame. We see them cope with major events such as Tito's death, the Albanian riots in Kosovo, the Sarajevo winter games, major Yugoslavian sporting events (eg. Yugoslavia winning Gold in Basketball in the 1980 Summer Games, Dinamo Zagreb's first league title in over 20 years, Cibona's success in Basketball), and of course the music of the 1980s.
The music is probably the biggest standout of this series. I never followed much Yugoslavian-rock in the 80s (however, I'm one of those kids that did watch all those Lepa Brena films of the era), but after watching the show, I was constantly on Spotify and/or YouTube trying to find the songs and learning more about the bands.
The show also features famous people from the time being portrayed by young Balkan actors. It's funny seeing Zac talking to Goran Bregovic in a restaurant washroom, or Zungul trying to snap a photo of Katarina Witt while she prepares to win Gold. At the same time, many current and well-known Balkan actors make appearances throughout the series, which is nice but evident of the small pool of available talent in the region.
For the most part, the acting is good and it definitely gets better as they series progresses. In season two, there is a scene with Nenad where he's clearly unable to play someone meant to be unconscious. Also, I don't think Dunja's character is that interesting, and of the family, I think Jura isn't implemented enough while I could use less Ksenija. It's clear that the focus should be on Kipo, Zac, and Una and I'm hopeful we get more of the trio and their lives which will definitely be greatly impacted by the fall of country.
*This part is a spoiler*
Season three features two weird flash-forwards. The first highlights some key moments from the end of the season but it also includes a section showing the families as they deal with the events that lead into the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the eventual civil war in Croatia. I suspect the series will eventually end as Croatia gains independence, they don't come back to this at any point in season three (and so far in season four, there is no reference to it either). It's an odd choice considering they have Zac trying to pull off being in his late twenties (I'm not sure his actual age at the time of filming but he just has a very youthful look that can't really pull off being more mature looking). It's definitely a tease of how the 90s will greatly affect our characters, it's odd that it's never referenced again.
*End of spoiler*
I don't know how this show is faring in Ex-Yuga but from what I've read it's pretty popular. I just wish HRT (Croatia's national tv network) did a better job marketing the show. They don't update either of their Facebook or Twitter pages, so I'm not sure how people outside of the hardcore are following this series.
Also, I wish the series had subtitles. While I understand about 85% of the dialog, this is a show I would love to share with non-Yugos, but that's just not possible. I'd love for a western streaming service to pick this up and show this off. HRT has the first two season available to stream for free, but unless you understand the language, you won't be able to follow the storylines just by guessing. I suspect the music licensing rights is what is holding back the series from going global, but I'm hopeful that is something they can overcome.
In all, I'm really invested in this series and can't wait to watch more as season four progresses. Again, I hope HRT can figure a way to get this to more people. If Serbian series like Senke nad Balkanom (called Black Sun on Amazon Prime) and Ubice mog oca (called Legacy on Amazon Prime) are available to wider audiences, there is no reason Crno-bijeli svijet can't be either.
I'm not Croatian (but I am an Ex-Yu), so I came across this series thanks to a random post on Reddit. In about two weeks I binged through all the available episodes (at the time of this post, we're four episodes into season 4) and I absolutely love the series. This is an interesting and pretty detailed look into one part of then Yugoslavia just as Tito is dying and the country begins to really see the changes that his death will cause.
The story focuses on an extended family now split into two. On one side, you have Jura and his second-wife Jagoda (who is also Serbian), who has a daughter from her first marriage (Una). On the other side, it's Jura's first-wife Ksenija and her new husband Dominik. Connecting the two Jura and Ksenija's children, Kipo the elder, a student reporter in the middle of his mandatory military service and younger Zac, who's in secondary school.
Rounding out the core cast are Zungul, an aspiring photographer and Kipo's best-friend, and Dunja, Ksenija's best friend and neighbour, and who is also the sister of Dominik. Later in the series, Nenad, Zac's best friend, and Marina, Kipo's long-sought after love interest, get more involved with the storyline.
Each season thus far focuses on different years of the 80s. Season one starts just as we are entering the 1980s, while season four begins in mid-1985. The show does a great job of connecting the characters to events that happened in the country during this time frame. We see them cope with major events such as Tito's death, the Albanian riots in Kosovo, the Sarajevo winter games, major Yugoslavian sporting events (eg. Yugoslavia winning Gold in Basketball in the 1980 Summer Games, Dinamo Zagreb's first league title in over 20 years, Cibona's success in Basketball), and of course the music of the 1980s.
The music is probably the biggest standout of this series. I never followed much Yugoslavian-rock in the 80s (however, I'm one of those kids that did watch all those Lepa Brena films of the era), but after watching the show, I was constantly on Spotify and/or YouTube trying to find the songs and learning more about the bands.
The show also features famous people from the time being portrayed by young Balkan actors. It's funny seeing Zac talking to Goran Bregovic in a restaurant washroom, or Zungul trying to snap a photo of Katarina Witt while she prepares to win Gold. At the same time, many current and well-known Balkan actors make appearances throughout the series, which is nice but evident of the small pool of available talent in the region.
For the most part, the acting is good and it definitely gets better as they series progresses. In season two, there is a scene with Nenad where he's clearly unable to play someone meant to be unconscious. Also, I don't think Dunja's character is that interesting, and of the family, I think Jura isn't implemented enough while I could use less Ksenija. It's clear that the focus should be on Kipo, Zac, and Una and I'm hopeful we get more of the trio and their lives which will definitely be greatly impacted by the fall of country.
*This part is a spoiler*
Season three features two weird flash-forwards. The first highlights some key moments from the end of the season but it also includes a section showing the families as they deal with the events that lead into the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the eventual civil war in Croatia. I suspect the series will eventually end as Croatia gains independence, they don't come back to this at any point in season three (and so far in season four, there is no reference to it either). It's an odd choice considering they have Zac trying to pull off being in his late twenties (I'm not sure his actual age at the time of filming but he just has a very youthful look that can't really pull off being more mature looking). It's definitely a tease of how the 90s will greatly affect our characters, it's odd that it's never referenced again.
*End of spoiler*
I don't know how this show is faring in Ex-Yuga but from what I've read it's pretty popular. I just wish HRT (Croatia's national tv network) did a better job marketing the show. They don't update either of their Facebook or Twitter pages, so I'm not sure how people outside of the hardcore are following this series.
Also, I wish the series had subtitles. While I understand about 85% of the dialog, this is a show I would love to share with non-Yugos, but that's just not possible. I'd love for a western streaming service to pick this up and show this off. HRT has the first two season available to stream for free, but unless you understand the language, you won't be able to follow the storylines just by guessing. I suspect the music licensing rights is what is holding back the series from going global, but I'm hopeful that is something they can overcome.
In all, I'm really invested in this series and can't wait to watch more as season four progresses. Again, I hope HRT can figure a way to get this to more people. If Serbian series like Senke nad Balkanom (called Black Sun on Amazon Prime) and Ubice mog oca (called Legacy on Amazon Prime) are available to wider audiences, there is no reason Crno-bijeli svijet can't be either.
Just one remark
fikuscar1 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Great show. Must see. But...
In one episode author is using a false narrative that Yugoslav army, without any reason, start attack on Croatia (still part of SFR Yugoslavia).
This false narrative is MUST in all Croatian movies and TV shows, since 1991. Still, enough is enough.
This false narrative is MUST in all Croatian movies and TV shows, since 1991. Still, enough is enough.
What a waste of time !
ApostleOfDirt13 March 2015
After watching a couple of episodes I got tired of it's unconvincing, dry, amateurish, humorless (not by purpose), thing they wanna call acting. The only way you could enjoy this is if you have already been brainwashed to this level of quality. The script is exciting and imaginative as a tic-tac-toe match played by a couple of drunken monkeys, no offense to those beautiful creatures. And they show it on prime time and advertise as one of the most expected shows of the year. Unbelievable. Can they produce a show worthy of paying attention ? Has Croatia no true movie industry talents ? I do think it does and that this show is just a fine example of Crony Capitalism at work.
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