previously published on Cineuropa
Everything has to end at some point, and legendary Croatian filmmaker Rajko Grlić supposedly decided to wrap up his career with a genre piece along the lines of a crime and political thriller, film noir, romance and satire all in one, which was also intended to rail against the corruption and the abuse of power deeply rooted in Croatian society. It All Ends Here premiered at 71st Pula Film Festival, the same place where Grlić showcased his feature debut, Whichever Way the Ball Bounces (1974), for the first time 50 years ago.
Written by Grlić and novelist Ante Tomić as their fourth collaboration, It All Ends Here is actually an adaptation of Miroslav Krleža’s 1938 novel On the Edge of Reason. The novel itself is tough to adapt owing to its structure of concentric circles, but the duo did a fine job of streamlining it and converting it to an eventful, linear plot that’s easy to follow and suits the genre cinematic approach. Their decision to move the plot from the first half of the previous century to a contemporary setting also proved to be a good way for them to make their point.
At the centre of the story we have lawyer Maks Pinter (Živko Anočić, seen in last year’s Pula entry Escort), who becomes fed up with serving his client, tycoon Dinko Horvat (played by Serbian actor Boris Isaković, best known for the role of Ratko Mladić in Quo Vadis, Aida?), after getting him off the hook for the murder of two trespassers, both former workers of a meat-packing facility that Horvat ran into the ground. Maks is willing to sacrifice his social status and even his cosy family life, so he turns to his former lover Nina (Jelena Đokić, glimpsed recently in 78 Days), who also has her own motives to try to hurt Horvat. Maks actually has a video that he can use to blackmail Horvat, but can the duo endure the pressure exerted by the powerful, psychopathic magnate, who also has strong political ties?
The main problem with the film lies in its dialogues, which sometimes sound as if they have been lifted directly from a work of literature and at times are overly theatrical. This is compounded by Grlić’s and Tomić’s tendency to speak through the characters in order to make a point, which is something that does not sit well with genre filmmaking that “likes” certain rules, but which cannot abide unsubtle didacticism. Also, this type of dialogue puts pressure on the actors to deliver the lines, which all of the leading trio do fairly well. Živko Anočić is a standout here, since those ambivalent types of characters suit him, while Boris Isaković does enough recycling of his preferred type of menacing characters to make Horvat compellingly scary, and Jelena Đoković adds a bit of craziness and vulnerability to the seductiveness of a noir femme-fatale type.
The technical aspects are also well done. Branko Linta’s camerawork uses a lot of bluish tones that suit the genre, while Tomislav Pavlic’s precise editing keeps the viewer engaged during the merciful running time of 89 minutes. Grlić’s directing is generally unobtrusive and invisible, so it lacks a bit of the flavour and flare much needed for a genre piece, but it does not overly hamper the film, which uses spoken threats as its primary fuel. With this “message over both style and substance” approach, It All Ends Here lands in the territory of a decent film that also serves up a strong statement.
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