previously published on Cineuropa
Oddly enough, the last and the most
eagerly awaited world premiere at this year’s edition of the Pula
Film Festival, Mali, written and directed by Antonio
Nuić (All for Free, Donkey, Life Is a
Trumpet), is a sequel of sorts. Or, more accurately, an
instalment in his series of shorts and features about the same
characters. They were introduced in one of his student shorts, rising
to national fame in the final chapter of the well-received triptych
Sex, Drinks and Bloodshed, on the topic of football
hooliganism in Croatia, where a night of game-watching among friends
veers off in an unpredictable direction, unearthing dangerous
secrets.
Some 13 years later, the child seen as a
baby in the previous film, Mali (mesmerising newcomer Vito
Dijak), is about to finish primary school. His mother,
Martina (not seen in the film), is dying of cancer in hospital, and
his father, Frenki, played by Vito’s real-life father Franjo
Dijak (Goran), has come back from jail a changed
man – not exactly leaving his criminal ways behind, but becoming
more savvy about them. The trouble is that as soon as Martina dies,
her parents will sue Frenki to gain custody of Mali and probably win
the case, even though the boy has been doing much better in life
since his father got back, improving his grades, behaving better and
nurturing his chess skills. However, Frenki has a plan that not only
involves testimonies from the staff at Mali’s school, but also from
his new business partners, his sleazy lawyer friend Vladek (Robert
Ugrina) and dirty cop Majić (Živko Anočić),
as well as his loser mates Boki (Bojan Navojec),
Raks (Rakan Rushaidat) and Kečo (Hrvoje
Kečkeš). Meanwhile, overly violent cop Slišković is on
his tail.
In Mali, Nuić disaffirms the
“Hitchockian” theory of “drama as life with the dull parts cut
out”. Pretty much all we see are people immersed in ordinary
situations and rituals: chit-chat, buddy-to-buddy banter, drinking,
doing drugs, enjoying a birthday party and a field trip, all of which
is slotted into a compelling crime storyline, while the supposed
action takes place off screen. Its “Croatian Usual Suspects”
label might ensure that it gets some time on the festival circuit
before it opens domestically in winter 2019.
This lean, 90-minute film works better
than expected for such an ambitious crime-drama transposed to a
Croatian setting thanks to Nuić’s precise writing, dialogue that
blends gritty realness and effortless cool, and his sure-handed
directing that uses the skills of the crew (consisting of his usual
collaborators) to the maximum. Radislav Jovanov Gonzo’s
cinematography (varying the colour palette to match the location,
whether urban or rural, and changing the length of the shots to match
the mood) is impressive, as is Hrvoje Štefotić’s
pulsating, tension-inducing original score.
The actors are also employed
masterfully. Franjo Dijak, Rakan Rushaidat, Bojan Navojec and Hrvoje
Kečkeš have certainly played some part in creating their characters
together with Nuić from their student times on. Now, the “gang”
has been reinforced by Robert Ugrina and Živko Anočić (doing a
good job of being both scary and smart at the same time), and
especially by Vito Dijak, whose measured, controlled performance is
rarely seen in child actors. He might just represent the bright
future of the Croatian acting scene, while his character is,
ironically, the very dark, dystopian future of Croatian society if
trends such as risky yet highly organised crime and corruption
continue to grow.
