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Marcus_Agar
Specialising in European cinema projects, Marcus partners with writers, directors and actors on projects with broad international appeal.
Marcus is active on projects in Serbia, Bosnia, Portugal, Kosovo, The Netherlands and the UK, managing careers, publicising projects, developing and co-writing scripts for shorts and features.
Marcus is an accomplished journalist and writer. He edits the Wild Rooster website (wild-rooster.com) on arts, society and contemporary Balkan culture, and is featured in entertainment, culture and media stories for international media.
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Panama (2015)
Serbian heartthrob Slaven Doslo thrills in Panama
In an age when quantity trumps quality and lives can be judged on the number of Facebook likes, commitment-averse teens have reduced sex to a numbers game.
That is a premise for Panama, the debut feature from Serbian director Pavle Vucković, starring Serbia's hottest screen star Slaven Dolo.
The film, which screened to positive reviews at this year's Cannes Film Festival and has attracted attention for its steamy sex scenes, receives its premiere in Belgrade, this week (Wednesday, 21 October).
Slaven, aged 24, takes the lead in this dark look at a hedonistic whirl of porn-fuelled experiences and no-ties sex replacing genuine interest in other people.
But while social media can be the conduit to these self-gratifying hook-ups, it can also waken age-old vices such as jealousy, pride and greed.
Slaven plays Joven, a good-looking young man for whom sex is a score and the idea of any commitment, whether to his studies or a relationship, is still an unfathomable concept.
Even though Jovan has returned to university after dropping out, he is not so committed to his studies that he cannot go clubbing, clocking up nightly notches on his bedpost.
In a contest of cheeky charm versus chiselled good looks, Jovan and his irresponsible best friend Milan (Milos Pjevac) keep detailed score of their sexual conquests, with a monthly award their only endgame. And Jovan is often the loser.
Slaven does not have any such problem in his own life, as he experiences the increased attentions delivered by his standout role in Stevan Filipovic's box office smash Pored Mene (Next to Me).
Undeniably, the camera loves Slaven, and Pavle Vucković makes full use of that in Panama.
From the washed-out pastels of lake-side summers to the convincing sex scenes, Slaven's self-assured performance leaves a lasting impression that will cement his new-found fame.
One slight niggle is Jovan's stream of prominently branded sports shirts, which he switches in almost every scene. If there was a drinking game linked to how often he changes his clothes, I wouldn't have made it to the end of the film.
During one of his regular nights on the pull, Jovan moves in on his latest hook-up Maja (Jovana Stojiljkovic). What he does not count on is that great sex with this one-night stand should take a dark turn.
Despite Maja agreeing, if a little reluctantly, to a no-ties sexual relationship, Jovan believes that she has other ideas. Unable to express his feelings, Jovan opens the door to the green-eyed monster.
What starts out as a glance over Maja's shoulder to see a text message soon descends into spying on her social media accounts and other stalker-like behaviour. When he can't get Maja out of his system, Slaven's attentions veer towards obsession and he tracks her movements via social media, with inevitable consequences.
While the thriller elements of the film kick in, it never really commits to a particular genre. Coupled with some under-realised story elements, it is easy to feel that illuminating footage was left on the cutting room floor.
These are relatively minor issues, though, and should not detract from general enjoyment of the film, largely thanks to acting that holds it all together.
This should ensure that Panama does well on the festival circuit and, with a release that is timed perfectly to capitalise on Slaven's current popularity and the success of Pored Mene, it should perform well in Serbian cinemas, too.
The Box (2011)
Three young men chasing their dreams in Belgrade '92
See full review at: http://wildrooster.com
The Box is the tragicomic urban tale of three young men chasing their dreams while trapped under the yoke of UN sanctions in early nineties Belgrade. With the onset of isolation, the film shows Belgrade in a moment of transition between everyday normality and the abnormal conditions about to be imposed on it.
It is 1992 and governments are recalling their embassies in the face of the coming storm, leaving the packing to our three protagonists, who work for a removals business that specializes in moving diplomats. This should be good for them as they box the lives of the diplomatic corps, but they live in a country that is being cut off.
Rather than be crushed by this, these young men carry on their own lives until they are moved to find new outlets for their dreams, showing comical resourcefulness to break out of their isolation.
Directed by Andrijana Stojković and shot mostly in high contrast black and white, The Box is an engaging film version of the book by Belgrade author Slavoljub Stanković, which itself originated from a screenplay co-authored by Stojković and Stanković.
Using our natural habit of putting our lives into compartments as a metaphor, The Box conjures up memories of a time when trade sanctions were looming, UEFA champions Red Star Belgrade could not host games at their hallowed home ground, and foreign ambassadors seemed to be changing guard at an alarming pace.
Most people still have boxes in their attic or garage that remain unopened since their last move. Memories and experiences packed away, out of sight, out of mind. This film poses the question of which boxes Serbia is still storing in the attic, hidden but not entirely forgotten. Equally, that are not yet ready to unpack and confront their memories.
Set against the backdrop of a country on the verge of being cut off from the outside world, this story presents genuine insights into how people deal with the many aspects of normal life, even when the humdrum hides harsh realities and their future is nothing but uncertain.
Budget for The Box did not stretch to filming in the plush ambassadorial residences described in the book, but necessity is the mother of invention and Stojković chose to film pieces to camera, documentary and confessional in tone, with the diplomats. This fluke has turned the film from what might have been a pleasant take into an absorbing record of a rime of such great uncertainty.
The film is shot in an almost fly-on-the-wall style, with floor level framing and long distance shots book-ending monologues from embassy staff. Thankfully, the sparse writing style and tight interaction that was so successful in the book is still intact in the film's stunningly crisp imagery and restrained dialogue.
At a time when travel was not an option and Yugoslavia was a pariah state to many, Cvrle, Vladan and Billy, are literally entering onto foreign soil, touching different cultures and meeting foreign people as they pack up the possessions of the embassy staff.
As work increases due to the diplomatic exodus, the three see the world boxing them in. Each has their own simple dream in life, but all that seems to be slipping away from their grasp. Enough is finally enough and the three plot to escape from their individual problems by coming up with quite extraordinary means to break out of the box and achieve their goals.
The musical device works especially well in Cvrle's close-framed closing number, where the emotional struggle and determination to survive at all costs can be seen in his eyes. Indeed, the music adds to the effect of creating a Serbian film that should attract a cult following beyond its natural shelf life.