Tears for Sale (2008)

This movie is simply a masterpiece. Its surrealist approach is similar to but goes much farther than Kusturica's flying fishes and brides (which are, by all means, the most charming features of Arizona Dream or Underground). It is the kind of film that makes you dream about another - not necessarily better, but nevertheless fascinating - world. This is especially remarkable as other Balkan cinematographers, such as the Romanians, are growing increasingly famous due to the triumph at Cannes and elsewhere of their sinister, realist movies that push the Italian post-WWII neo-realism to a darker, unbearable degree. Watching those films will certainly make you dream too, but you'll have nightmares. Watching Tears for Sale (or Charleston & Vendetta, which is the translation of the original title) is a delighting experience in post-modern surrealism. For the time being, the problem is that the movie seems to be available mostly in Serbian. Still, after some effort I was able to find on Internet an excellent French language version. But I am sure that subtitled DVD versions will soon be available. One final caveat: if you are an admirer of Hollywood movies and prefer 'believable dialogues' (as one of my fellow-reviewers does) definitely DO NOT WATCH Tears for Sale. Go to a theater that screens Spiderman 9 and you'll be happy. Choose Stojanovic's film only if you really like high-end cinema.

I saw this movie at the TIFF two years ago and I was overwhelmed by the beautiful images, the incredible actresses, the fantastic story and magical illogic of it all. It reminded me very much of the French movie "Amelie", in that it had a similar cause-and-effect structure which obeyed its very own visionary logic. I believe it is utterly unnecessary to try to categorize the movie since its quality precisely lies in its intriguing eclecticism (which makes it hard to sell to people, unfortunately).The actresses are ravishing, seductive and radiate a sirenic glow - their performance captures the viewer's attention completely from beginning to end.The story is one of passion and female determinism - told in an entirely unorthodox, refreshing way without ever taking itself too seriously.Uros Stojanovic is the Serbian Luc Besson and I hope the movie will get the appreciation it deserves.

Well I've just returned from the cinema after watching this movie. I have dual thoughts about it. First the camera and the acting are stunning for a Serbian movie, we(Serbs) have reach a Hollywood production level. But the weak part of a movie is screenplay or a plot. First a women tribe is chaotic, there is no matriarch in the village, and two female protagonists are quite independent for Serbian women from that ages. The love concept is based on nothing, and male characters lacks personality. There is that vineyard, that the girls go to, that has a planted mine field.Why do they go to that vineyard? To die...(It was called Mineyard in the movie)If they died there, the village wouldn't get any grapes at all, and few of them get out alive. The concept of the vineyard is quite illogical. As I said before, love concept is illogical also, as they madly fall in love in some guys that they have just seen. I compared it to a movie called The Wickerman, where the matriarch tribe girls abandon theirs feelings for the tribe's sake. In this movie that isn't a case. The girls are quite careless for the rest of the tribe and want those two men for themselves. Male characters are quite feeble, and annoying. Trey are made like they are from an other world, not realizing a current situation. They are certainly not the model of men two fell in love at the first site. My final word would be:"At the beginning of the movie you are on zero point, at the end of the movie you are on the zero point. Nothing changes, everyone is miserable as in the beginning". Also they categorized this movie as a comedy. THIS IS NOT A COMEDY, it's a drama with an elements of horror.

"Charleston for Ognjenka" is an attractive, dynamic, feminine, adventure and comedy for intelligent audience, one of the movies from the select group without first neighbors, a work to remember. There is a song that says: "One step changes whole world". That's the sort of precision punches, bruises, subtle words, or awesome music that hits the viewer with perfect timing at perfect places, as if to receive a cure and treatment for the formal description or even definition of what this movie is supposed to be. Charleston is not a morbid movie despite all the epic graveyards and characters "made of magic" due to careful details impact and art really. The topic of the movie is an attempted cultural change and its critique. Strong in body language, movie is a transformation journey of maturity and sensuality. At times the frames are haunted by ghosts that liberate the dark humor into character acceptance and pro life propaganda. Tending to occupy most of attention and physical experience in theater, we may add it to the heritage of artworks that penetrate directly into perceptual actuality. Guide it through fluent, flying camera in surreal vision for best results. Cinematography beyond error earns the right to free expression, and a solid blow to emotions at times.