#Croatian drama films

[moviescramble]

Safe Place (Sígurno Mjesto) - Review

Depictions of mental health on screen can so often feel like nothing more than mere tropes; a plot device to give the “hero” the chance to demonstrate their power. It’s very rare that you see a writer or director make bold choices for the sole purpose of raising awareness. For those going through it themselves or for those who find themselves as bystanders, the invisible prison of one’s own mind…

[mrchiipchrome]

Thunder Only Happens When It's Raining

A/n: It's giving 'here damn', sorry for it taking so long icl I was struggling with this one. Say if you can tell whether I was hungry or no making this😭

W.C. - 7.7 k

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The first thing you can feel as you start to gain consciousness is a weight against your arm, pressing on your bicep and cutting off the blood flow to the rest of your arm. The tingle in the tips of your fingers feels almost like TV static would, pricking and prodding at the insides of your digits almost harshly.

The second thing you feel is something, someone, pressed against your front, the warmth radiating from her disappearing between the two of you and turning into a tingle at the top of your stomach. Her body fits perfectly against your own, curves fitting in the spaces of your body like that what it was made for, maybe it was, you’d never know.

The third thing you feel is fabric against the back of your hand and soft skin beneath the fingertips of your right hand. The softness of the skin doesn’t fool you for a second though, a layer of firm muscle built up over multiple years just beneath it, an impressive feat really.

Still, you don’t open your eyes, much rather wanting to savor the slow morning moments of the Sunday, the last calm one for a while, with pre-season training starting during the new week and school picking up the pace.

The quiet, serene moment is only interrupted by the sound of something crashing to the ground not too far away from where you’re laying in your bed with the unnamed girl, your brain not even registering the familiarity of her scent and body.

Opening your eyes ever so slightly, a quiet groan leaving your mouth as your back meets the soft mattress, you see the dark brown hair splayed all over the pillow and arm, dark brown hair you recognized, dark hair that belongs to the only person that you definitely shouldn’t have been in the same bed as.

How in the actual fuck do you get yourself into these predicaments?

There’s honestly no use in pondering, the events from the previous night flooding in almost immediately, nearly like an old movie from when they still used physical rolls of film. Rubbing your eyes, a yawn escapes from between your lips, the relatively early morning combined with the late night culminating in the exhaustion you’re feeling.

It’s difficult to choose whether to stay in bed with the Croatian beauty or get up and check out what the noise had been caused by, in the end the curiosity won out over the comfort of your own bed and the warmth of the basketball player.

Carefully pulling your arm out from under the brunette’s head, you clench and unclench your hand more than a few times to get the blood flow going again, pins and needles returning as you start gaining feeling back in your forearm.

You pause as you hear a small groan coming from Nika, body still as if you were a statue in order to not wake her any further, a small sigh escaping you when she stills completely, seemingly back in the deep sleep she previously had been in.

Tiptoeing to the door, you very carefully push down on the door handle so as to not wake everyone in the building by simply opening your door, opening it a fraction and slipping your body in the space between the door and the frame.  

It’s like she doesn’t hear your heavy footsteps against the floor, because when you round the corner of the living room she’s sitting on your couch, watching some trashy reality tv show and eating sugary cereal you got especially for her. Cereal she wasn’t supposed to eat anywhere else than the kitchen because it would be a pain in the arse to clean up if it got on the cushions or literally anywhere else.

Leaning up against the wall, your arms cross over your chest just like a disappointed parent, looking at the older girl tiredly. Still, her eyes are glued on the tv and the drama being displayed on the screen, barely even blinking in order to not miss anything.

“What are you watching?” Em’s eyes snap to you, a scared look on her face, like she knows that she’s been caught doing something she knows she’s not supposed to do. Her almost pathetic attempt at redemption comes from the small smile she’s sending you, trying to convince you not to scold her.

“Hey Y/n, what’chu doing up already?” She asks despite it being almost lunch time, eyes shifting anywhere but to where you’re standing, and you roll your eyes at her antics. Pushing off the wall, you walk in her direction with decisive steps, flopping down on the couch beside her and sprawling out your limbs, looking like a starfish with your butt hanging half over the edge. 

Em looks at you all weird, not really understanding why you’re not cussing her out for disrespecting your rules, yet she doesn’t say anything, it would be foolish to incite that kind of reaction. Her eyes stay on you for a few more seconds before she turns back to Love Island on the TV, leading her to just feel you get up from the couch again and not see it.

“So what is this show you’re watching?” You ask her all the way from the kitchen, getting your own bowl out of the middle drawer of the cabinet, closing the drawer with your hip and moving towards the refrigerator, pulling on the handle and plucking the carton of milk out of the small bottom compartment of the door. 

Moving back to where your bowl is sitting on the counter, you wait for your best friend to answer the question you posed to her. In the meantime you search for the chocolate cereal you knew you had hidden somewhere in one of the three cupboards in the kitchen. 

“It’s called Love Island, they basically fly out a bunch of boys and girls to a tropical island to humiliate them in front of hundreds of thousands of people.” She pauses for a moment in her explanation, seemingly taking another bite of her cereal. “Boys and girls couple up during the first day there then bombshells come in and they can steal girls or boys that are already coupled up, then there’s the recoupling ceremony where people can choose to couple up with someone else. You’ll get it soon enough.

Pouring your cereal in the bowl, you barely look up from your hands as you multitask, listening to Em explain and fixing your own breakfast. Flooding the cereal with a lake of milk, your fingers wrap around the handle of the top drawer, getting a spoon and putting it in the bowl. 

Carefully walking back towards the sofa where Em is sitting, you make sure to not spill a single drop on your hardwood floors, not wanting another disaster to clean up. In her short time as your best friend, Em had spilled more than you had in your entire life, thankfully she knew to stay away from anything exceptionally expensive.

“So they like, do this willingly?” You ask her, still confused about why people would do that out of their own free will.

“Yeah, you get famous off it sometimes and you win a shitton of money.” She responds through a mouthful of milk and cereal, looking at you through the corner of her eye as you sit down beside her once again, putting your feet up on the coffee table.

The two of you sit in silence after that, the uncharacteristic silence confusing the brunette laying in your bed. In all the time she had spent with the two of you, there had probably been a collective 5 minutes of silence, not counting when either one of you were unconscious.

When Nika wakes up, she’s all alone in the comfortable, but slightly too big bed. Her pounding head reminds her of the night she barely remembers and her aching limbs feel too heavy to move, half lidded eyes peeking around at the sparse decorations around the room, trying to recognise where exactly she was.

The muffled sounds coming from the other side of the door are enough to pique her curiosity, so with quite a bit of effort, she gets out of the bed she’s almost sinking into, swaying on her feet as she moves towards the door.

Using the wall as support, she quietly makes her way towards the living room, the source of the quiet noise. As the light from the open room hits her eyes, she lets out a groan, the headache doubling in painfulness, her now closed eyes failing to pick up the looks she’s getting from the two of you.

A look of pure adoration flashes across your face as Nika practically stumbles into the room, one hand covering her eyes and the other up against the wall, practically holding her up. In your 18 years on earth, you’re more than sure that you’ve never seen something as gorgeous as the girl standing only steps away from you, a realization that was becoming far too normal in your unusually interested mind.

On the other side of the couch, a mischievous look in her eyes that tells you everything you need to know, not that you see it, too focused on Nika to even pay your best friend any mind.

Nika herself doesn’t see either of the looks, too preoccupied with the pounding in her head, simply moving closer to the couch with almost stumbling steps, like a little lamb trying to make its way to the shade.

In the end she has to catch herself more than once before she finally throws herself into the space between you and Em, practically sinking into the couch and disappearing between the cushions.

Emma smirks down at her playfully, pondering on whether to tease her or leave her alone, on very pointed look from you though makes her decision very clear. No teasing allowed apparently, wheat has the world come to.   

There’s a strange type of silence between the three of you, not uncomfortable by any means but still, it was strange.

Nika’s almost asleep again, her head resting comfortably against your arm after she shifted a bit, just enough for her head to come into contact with the muscle of your upper arm.

By the time Nika looks up at you through her lashes, the cereal in your brightly coloured bowl has turned soggy and lost its matte brown color, now an almost pale brownish beige. Disgusting look really, but still kind of tasty.

“Can I have some?” Her puppy dog eyes are very convincing in their own right, that much you’ll admit, but you’re not sure that the unappetising cereal would be any good in terms of nutrition, not even mentioning the cross contamination happening if you were to share the same spoon as well as the milk in the bowl already.

“Really? It’s all soggy.” You look down at her questionably, not even noticing the dramatic eye roll Emma sends you both at the oblivious nature the both of you possessed. In what universe would you and Nika not end up together? Probably in one where her brother actually cared for his girlfriends.

At that moment, Em realizes that she probably would tell this story at your wedding one day in the future, most likely laughing and halfway to being drunk.

“Hey Em, gimmie some of your fruity pebbles.” Clearly, she’s been caught up in her own thoughts for far too long, lifting herself up on the heels of her hands, Em peeks over the edge over your bowl only to see it void of anything that’s not slightly diluted chocolate milk.

Throwing herself back against the cushions with a groan, both you and Nika look at her amused, the shared twinkle in your eyes telling more of a story than Em could ever realize.

“Ugh, I don’t want to get up, you go get it yourself” She rolls her eyes again, completely oblivious to your knowledge of the fact that she had brought her cereal box with her from the kitchen and that it was next to the couch’s armrest.

“Come on Em, you think I don’t know about your little stash? Come on, sharing is caring as Americans would say.” Your playful smile reaches all the way up to the corners of your eyes, and though she would never admit it, Nika’s sure she feels something other than hunger in her stomach after it. 

As Em begrudgingly hands the box over, she doesn’t fail to notice the way your arm slips away from beneath Nika’s head, pouring the sugary cereal into your now shared bowl before handing it back to the shortest of you three, the smooth maneuver you probably didn’t even realize you’d completed results in Nika’s head resting against your chest and your arm slithered around your shoulder.

Even with your seemingly cool, calm and collected demeanor, you’re screaming on the inside, sharing a bowl of fruity pebbles with a gorgeous girl apparently sets every single nerve in your body alight. 

And the worst (best) thing about it is how right it feels, despite it all being so incredibly wrong, her boyfriend (who definitely doesn’t care about her like you do) was probably worried sick about her, you would be.

It’s not right, but damn does it feel good to have her close to you.

Not in a gay way or anything, you try to convince yourself, completely platonic, yep, yep, yep, just purely platonic.

Either way, when the world turns upside down, it’s probably smart to contact the nearest Aussie, after making a mental note to call Cailtin later, you settle into the cushions more, eating a spoonful of sharp and colorful flakes, deciding to simply not care about right and wrong for now and instead just… enjoy yourself.

A comfortable silence takes over the room for the next hour or so, the three of you simply sitting quietly, watching the show and enjoying each other’s company.

Through the screaming and arguing of the contestants on the screen, the loud rumbling of your stomach can be heard. It almost echoes throughout the room.

Both of the older girls turn toward you, almost in unison, at the sound your stomach produces, eyes wide and faces filled with pure and unbridled amusement. You’re filled with embarrassment though, a deep, dark blush covering your cheeks, especially so as Nika reaches up to pinch one of them, like a grandmother would.

“Aw, are you hungry? Let’s go fix you something to eat.” Surprisingly enough, it’s not Em that teases you, but instead Nika, who teasingly pats your stomach before slipping out of your grip and standing up in front of you, holding her hand out for you to take, her silken palm meeting yours in a soft embrace.

With unsurprising strength, Nika pulls you up off the couch and almost drags you with her into the kitchen.

Tucked away in the corner, just beside the fridge, there’s a portable speaker that Nika takes with her unoccupied hand, bringing her other hand away from yours to turn it on, then connecting her phone not long after. Within the span of a couple moments, music starts playing in the kitchen, all types of music flowing out in waves.

Looking on cluelessly as she starts swaying her body along to the beat, Nika almost raids your fridge, seemingly disappointed with what she finds as she frowns and pouts adorably. Looking through your cabinets too, she’s even more disappointed with what she finds, brows now fully furrowed.

She picks up her phone from the counter where she had placed it down only moments before, humming along to the chorus, pressing and swiping and messing around on her phone before she looks up and over the top of it.

“Your address?” She asks, trying not to laugh at the dumbfounded look on your face, your mind clearly not comprehending a single thing she had said.

“What?” She smiles all cutely at you, and you have to try your absolute hardest not to replicate her expression, but in the end it’s simply impossible. Her smile is just so contagious that you can’t help it.

“I need your address, I’m ordering the ingredients.” Telling her you address quickly, you also thank her profusely for the thoughtful act, offering to send her the money for the groceries, to which she simply just waves you off, telling you that it wasn’t necessary.

“So… what do we do now?” You ask her, not noticing the way she’s moving closer to you until her hands grip onto yours, stringing you along as she starts dancing to the r&b song. The beat of the song grips ahold of you just enough to the point where Nika doesn’t have to push and pull on you tp make you dance, your body on autopilot.

“You know I really don’t like to dance.” You tell her, fully confused as she smirks at you, well up until you follow her line of sight down to your lower half, moving like a master, like you’d done it a million times before. “Shut up.” Is the only thing that comes out of your mouth, whispered through playfully pursed lips.

“I did not say anything.” She exclaims, still smiling at you teasingly, and you roll your eyes for what seems to be the millionth time since arriving in America, by now not even caring about the playful teasing.

Nika’s phone buzzes after a few more songs, the text message telling her that the ingredients were at the door.

“Come on, let’s go.” She walks to the hallway with you in tow, seeing her open the door to find a short and stout man on the other side, a thick, white mustache covering his upper lip. You both thank him and he gets a hefty tip before you close the door and basically skip your way into the kitchen, ready for some food.

“What are we making?” You ask her excitedly, almost buzzing with pure anticipation.

“We are making štrukli, it’s from Croatia.” Nodding along to her words, you walk towards the sink to start washing your hands, all whilst Nika starts to unpack all the ingredients and placing them on the counter. Shaking the water off your hands, you soon make your way to the drawer where all your aprons and towels were stored, pulling out the first one you could see and putting it on, absentmindedly tying the strings behind your back.

Looking back up from the floor, you soon see the look Nika’s giving you, half teasing and half plotting. Her eyes trail up and down your body, staying a moment or two extra on your torso before flicking back up to your eyes and then back down again.

Looking down at yourself, you see exactly what’s caught her attention, and the embarrassing print covering the front of the apron spells out a big “Kiss The Cook”, a gift from Lucy who thought she was oh so hilarious, in her mind it was an appropriate gift for a college student.

Your cheeks darken once more, your hand coming up to rub at the back of your neck before you speak.

“Uh yeah, um it was a gift from my older sister, well not my actual older sister, I don’t have one of those, but from my uh, my pseudo-” In your stupor, you had once again not noticed the way Nika was moving closer to you until her unbelievably soft lips were pressed to your cheek, her hands pressing down against your hip bones to push herself up slightly. Heaven was gifted to you in the form of a single moment, a single kiss pressed fleetingly to your cheek by a divine woman with a boyfriend. 

A boyfriend. Fuck.

“So, a kiss for the cook, now we can start.” Just as quick as it happened, Nika moves away from you and towards the sink behind you to wash her hands, leaving you completely dumbfounded, almost convinced that the whole thing had been a dream. She’s a whole dream, nothing that perfect could be attainable in real life.

But as she pats you on your back, you get thrown back into reality, with Nika standing beside you at the counter there’s virtually no chance of a possible escape, not that you’d ever want that either way. She grabs the ingredients, carefully pushing them in front of you both before ordering you to get a bowl. 

The plastic clanks against the counter as you put it down, Nika now ordering you to start making the filling made up of cheese, a pinch of salt, eggs and sour cream, whilst she makes the dough herself.

“This look good enough, boss?” Holding up the mixing bowl in order for her to check the contents, she nods quickly after looking at the mixture for a moment or two, beckoning you over at the same time.

“Alright, you put it on there.” She points to the dough rolled thin on the counter, and you move over as quick as your legs allowed you to, handing her the bowl so that you couldn’t mess everything up. “Like this.” She says, spreading the cheese mixture along the bottom quarter of the dough. Standing right behind her to get a closer look at the process, you peek over her shoulder as she works diligently, strong arms flexing with every single move she makes.

“Usually there would be a… how do you say? Stolnjak… like a cloth.” She rubs her thumb against her pointer and middle finger - almost like she’s asking for you to pay up - before she moves her hand back down towards the counter.

She takes the edge of the dough and starts to push it towards the other edge, making a roll that, at last, ends up in the middle of the counter.

“Plate, please.” She holds her hand up, ready for a plate to be placed between her waiting fingers. You move away from her, and for just a millisecond, Nika misses the warmth your body provided her, being just close enough for your bodies to exchange heat. After finding a plate that you felt was sturdy enough, you place it in between her fingers and wait for what she’s going to use it for.

She turns around briefly to flash her winning smile at you as an inaudible thank you, but then she turns back around and starts to press the plate’s edge against the soft dough, cutting it whilst at the same time sealing the edges off.

“Next steps are secret, go sit with Em.” She looks over her shoulder at you, a mischievous glint in her eye, all before she starts to physically shoo you away and out of the kitchen, even going as far as to start pushing against your chest to get you to go back to the living room.

Feet shuffling against the floor, you look back towards the kitchen sneakily, trying to get a sneak peek of the so-called secret step, only to be met with a middle finger and a playful smile paired with a knowing look.

Jumping over the back of the couch, you settle down into the couch with your back resting against the arm rest and your feet resting in Em’s lap. She looks at them disgusted, like she hadn’t done the exact same thing a hundred different times before.

“First you steal my cereal, then you put your disgusting feet in my lap, where are your manners?” She asks, playful annoyance coating every word coming out of her mouth, shaking her head almost like she’s disappointed in you. 

“First of all, I paid for that cereal, so it’s mine, secondly I have socks on, no cross contamination.” You smile cheekily at her, shrieking when she pokes the underside of your foot, extremely ticklish. Something Em really wasn’t supposed to know.

“Ticklish huh, now we’ll see who really owns that cereal.” Her statement makes no sense at all, but you don’t have any time to ponder over it as she throws herself onto you, starting to tickle your sides before you start to gain control, flipping her over and letting the wrestling commence.

Knocking over the empty bowls standing on the coffee table, it seems like Nika finally notices the childish nature of playing happening in the living room, her accented voice being heard all across the apartment.

“Children, stop it before you break something.” The both of you stand up almost immediately, going into the military salute position, throwing yourselves back onto the couch when she giggles at the pure silliness of the apparent adults standing only a couple meters away from her. Well you were barely even legal, but that’s a problem for another day.

Em’s eyes widen once more when she sees the print on the apron you’re still wearing, going back into mischievous mode in less than a second. 

“Ooooh, did the chef get the kiss?” She teases simply, and you try your hardest to keep the poker face, even going as far as to start coughing to have a reason for the blush that’s surely covering your cheeks by now, but of course that only makes you more suspicious. “Wait, actually?” She leans over towards you, shock displayed all over her face.

“No, she kissed me on the cheek, you know, like friends do?” Pushing her face away from yours with your hand, Em starts making kissy faces from the other side of the couch, by now neither of you are paying attention to the program on the tv, just focussed on annoying the other as much as possible.

“How come I don’t get any of that honey?” She teases, leaning closer again this time to pretend to kiss you on the cheek, before you once again push her away.

“Shut up” Crossing your arms across your chest, you signal that you’re done with the conversation, Em like always, continues on with her antics, but you don’t pay her any mind, the older girl finally shutting up like you asked her after a while.

With the both of you slowly being pulled back into the show that is love island, there’s no way that you notice Nika’s nearing figure until she’s standing right in front of the tv, somehow holding three plates of steaming food.

“Lunch is served.” Her proud smile is adorable and you actually have to prevent yourself from aww-ing at it, which is harder than it may seem. As she hands you your plate, your stomach rumbles loudly again which lets you know that it’s time to eat.

The first bite tastes like pure love, and you can’t help the loud groan from escaping through your lips, a pure home cooked meal differing from the plain rice and chicken that you’d had for lunch practically since you arrived in America. 

“This is so good, you did such a good job.” Looking at Nika sincerely, it’s difficult not to notice the growing smile on her face after your words, even as she moves closer to sit down between you and Em, the smile stays on her beautiful face. She smiles a lot. That’s a good thing, you decide, a person with a smile as gorgeous as that shouldn’t hide it.

“We.” She reminds you, after a second or two, a fond look in her eye that you hadn’t seen before, it’s kind of like the way parents looked at their kids in the movies when they got good grades or something. Yeah, no, probably not that. “We both made it, and you’re right, we did a hell of a good job.”

Em nods in agreement at the statement, not as thrilled to be, what she deems as third wheeling as someone might think, if only she had stayed home last night. Last night, the party, getting drunk beyond belief, bumping into Nika and one of her basketball buddies, Party P, getting pulled into more than one beer pong game, nearly passing out and then waking up to Nika using her phone, to then falling asleep just before getting woken up, insulting your pjs and then getting driven home. Wait.

“Oh shit.” Em says just before springing up off the couch in a panic, both you and Nika’s eyes following the cartoonish action, Nika far more concerned than you, simply based on the fact that she 

isn’t practically living with the… enthusiastic girl. Em exclaims shit like that once every half an hour normally.

“Oh shit what?” The brunette asks, hoping to get a ‘I forgot my homework’ oh shit rather than a “I dropped my phone in the toilet” oh shit. 

“I fucking forgot that I left my car back at the school. We have to go get it.” She exclaims, almost running for the door as Nika stands up slowly, looking at you unimpressed as you lean back into the cushions. 

“What?” You ask innocently, like you can’t figure out why she’s looking at you in the way she is on your own. Taking another bite, Nika sighs and rolls her eyes before she once again sticks her hand out for you to pull yourself up with.

“You know I have to get home too, I can’t stay here forever.” She says, raising her eyebrows when you practically ignore her in favor of watching the show on the tv. Stepping so that she’s blocking your line of sight, her eyes staying on you until you actually get up. “Come on.”

“But the drive-” You start off, almost whining to the obviously amused girl, who just starts to beckon you over to where she’s now standing halfway across the apartment in the hall.

“But the drive nothing, if you don’t want Em to drive your precious baby.” She teases, getting startled when you zoom past her, just barely remembering to grab your keys off the hook before absolutely legging it down to the bottom floor. Unbeknownst to you, Nika takes her time and puts the dishes in the sink just to make it a little easier for you before she carefully slips her shoes on. 

Looking around the hall, she soon sees the spare house keys hanging off a hook not far from the hook your car keys hung on just a moment before. Just as the tall brunette exits out the front door, the door just beside yours also opens and an adorable dog jumps onto her, all excited and puppylike despite clearly not being a puppy.

“Who are you? Oh you’re so cute.” Nika coos at the slobbering dog, getting up from the ambush to kneel in front of him, scratching just behind his fluffy ear. He lays down on the ground, showing his stomach for loads of belly scratches.

“That’s Bubba, he’s just a little eccentric.” The old woman standing in front of her reaches out for her hand, bringing Nika up from the floor and leaving her own dog whining for more bellyrubs. “He’s a big baby. You’re one of Y/n’s friends? I haven’t seen you ‘round before.”

Nika nods her head quickly, introducing herself to the lady with the cutest dog ever.

“Yeah I’m dating Emma’s brother, but yeah we’re friends. I’m Nika.” She smiles, and the old woman replicates her actions. There’s an almost standstill for a moment before the gray haired woman sighs, looking at her amused.

“Alright now, if you’re ever having any problems with them knuckleheads, don’t be ‘fraid to knock and I’ll fix it right up for ya. And I just want to tell you how gorgeous you are, my god you are something else.” With that, the old woman leaves with her fluffy dog and her tiny red pure that Nika hadn’t noticed before.

Shrugging, Nika turns around and locks the door before making her way down to the lobby, walking out the door only to see you and Em basically wrestling on the ground in front of your garage. She rolls her eyes goodnaturedly, walking over with sure steps to deliver steady slaps to the backs of both your heads.

“Ouch.” Rubbing the backs of your heads, both you and Em follow after Nika as she makes her way to sit in the passenger seat, Emma groaning at the action like she even had a chance at shotgun in the first place.

“Y’all are idiots sometimes, you know that?” She says, waiting for the key to be inserted into the ignition so that the car can be started, and her words make you roll your eyes sassily. There’s always a bit of sass in you.

“Come on, bro let’s just go.” Em sits in the middle seat, poking her head forth between the front seats, using her elbow to nudge Nika in the ribs. Not that it would make any difference, since you were the one driving and not her.

Driving out of the garage, your precious baby of a car rumbles in that familiar way, the pebbles on the ground crackling under the weight of the car.

“Let’s get some life up in here.” Em exclaims after a few minutes of quiet driving, the sound of the engine mixed with the air coming from the vents clearly not satisfying the older girl. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Em leans forward and turns the radio on, the volume high like it’s supposed to be.

“Sit down Emma, are you trying to get us killed?” You ask, half joking and half serious, the surprising action from the girl in the backseat having startled you only moments before. The click of the seatbelt sounds behind the loud music, a reassurance that she indeed did not aim to be killed.

“Shush, enjoy my company kiddo instead of complaining.” Em smiles mischievously at you through the rearview mirror, leaning back into the seat and putting her hands together over her stomach.

“Oh so I’m kiddo now?” You look back at her briefly with the trademark ‘really?’ look, turning your eyes back to the road so as to not put everyone in danger. Nika giggles beside you, and it catches your attention quicker than you’d ever admit, not that you’d ever admit to most things, especially those involving Nika. Not that there was anything about her to admit in the first place, you tell yourself in your head, right.

“Would you rather be grumpy?” You hear Em’s accusing tone shining through the loud music in the background, and you can imagine the expression on her stupid face, with raised brows and an idiotic look.

Deciding to stay quiet in order to not give her any more ammunition, it seemingly gives her a lot more than you would have thought.

“Thought so.” She sticks her tongue out at you through the rearview mirror and you can’t help but shake your head in amusement, deciding to just let her be.

During the next hour, your car turns into a concert hall as Nika and Em sing along to the songs on the radio, and you catch yourself smiling at their silliness more than once, especially as they start singing to each other like they were in a band.

And to everyone’s surprise, you had even joined in a few times.

Luckily enough for Em, nothing had happened to her old ass car by the time you had dropped her off, except for the fact that it was 23 years old and that the paint was chipping in various places, the car seemed fine enough. 

Driving off in the direction Nika had pointed in, you flip Em the bird just for fun as you pass her by and she sends you one right back, all before Nika slaps the back of your head, calling you a child lovingly.

“Okay, right here and then you can park there.” Nika points to a spot right outside of the dorm building as you pull up in front of it, looking around you carefully as you park, there’s no way you would ever risk damaging your car.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, you get out of the car at the same time as Nika does, locking up and checking it once, then twice and then thrice, just to be sure. Looking up, you see the unimpressed look the girl at the other side of the car is giving you, and you send her a sheepish smile in return.

“You care more about that car than you do your apartment.” Nika says just as you round the corner of the car, sidling up beside her as you two walk shoulder to shoulder towards the entrance of the building, the code to the door being put in before either of you can make your way into the building.

Looking around the entrance, there’s really not a lot to comment on, a couple of security cameras and some sort of guard sitting by the door. Well protected at least. 

“Come, we need to get upstairs.” The Croatian beauty takes your hand and pulls you in the direction of a set of stairs leading up to, what you presumed to be floors and floors of rooms. 

Following her up the stairs, it doesn’t take long for Nika to stop in front of a door, presumably the door to her dorm. She leans down and fiddles with something, somehow managing to produce a keychain from the small space, leaving you completely perplexed.

“How did you just-” She shakes her head amusedly, almost telling you to not even ask just with a simple look. “You’re magic, you know?”

“Thank you, but I’m really not, at most I can hocus pocus my way into some free drinks.” Nika says as she winks playfully at you, pushing her key into the lock without hearing the thumping footsteps coming from the inside of the dorm, too distracted by the dark red blush suddenly covering your cheeks.

As she tugs on the handle and opens the door, Nika’s tackled to the ground by a mystery girl, someone who’s clearly quite excited.

“NIKAAAAA, twin where have you been? I was literally posted up in here last night waiting for you.” The mystery girl gets up off the brunette, pulling her up and off the floor just a moment later, not even noticing you standing just a few decimeters away.

“You know how it is Paige, making the most out of the last of the off-season.” Nika responds to the blonde you now know to be Paige. Rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, you almost leave without saying goodbye, seeing as your job was done, you had walked her home.

“Whose clothes are these? I know they ain’t yours.” You can hear the blonde, Paige, speak up again, and you see her tug at the corner of the t-shirt that clearly wasn’t Nika’s, seeing as it was a t-shirt you’d gotten for winning some tournament for England’s U21 team not too long ago.

Nika looks back at you for just a second or two, before she’s waving you over to where the two of them were standing not too far away. Walking closer cautiously, you look at Nika, almost asking her “what should I do?” through your gaze.

“Who’s this?” The blonde asks Nika, looking at you skeptically, not judging you but instead wondering who you were.

“You know Cal has a little sister, right? This is her best friend,” Nika starts off looking at Paige before she turns towards you, looking at you intensely as she speaks. “I mean we’re pretty good friends too, right kid?” She teases, and you groan loudly at the nickname, not wanting it to spread further than it already had. You’re not a kid, but to others you might as well be an infant.

“I’m not a child.” The playfully groaned words seem to take the blonde by surprise, for some reason you can’t fathom.

“Whoa, I was not expecting that accent.” She exclaims, looking at you with a huge smile on her face and a glint in her eye that you know you had seen before.

“Most people don’t, it’s quite weird actually.” You look at her as you speak, a small smile appearing across your lips. Shrugging, there’s really no telling why people didn’t expect that accent, but it happened often enough for you to probably need a shirt announcing the fact that you were not American. As if. 

“I’m Y/n Y/l/n, a friend of Nika’s and her boyfriend’s little sister.” Sticking your hand out for her to shake, Paige does so with the confidence you’d seen shine through in her interactions with Nika. 

“I’m Paige, Nika’s best friend.” Letting go of your hand, the blonde smiles mischievously, in a fashion that suggests that she does it all the time, and based purely on the way Nika rolls her eyes playfully, you’re sure she does.

“Nice to meet you, I should be going though, can’t have Em getting home before me.” Shrugging softly, you turn around to walk away from the two, but the brunette doesn’t let you get too far away before she takes hold of your hand once again, pulling you around to face her.

“I think I forgot my clothes at your place.” She tells you, an adorable frown on her cute face.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll just bring them ‘round next time.” You wave her concerns off with the simple promise, keeping eye contact all throughout the interaction, not daring to look away from her captivating gaze.

“Next time?” She looks at you almost confused, but not really at the same time, there’s something about her that’s just so difficult to read. Maybe you’ll learn sometime, maybe.

“Yeah, next time.” You respond determinedly, of course you wanted to see her again, as soon as possible, you’re friends and you want to see your friends. As much as you want to see Nika again, the call of home is getting louder second by second and you know you can’t leave Em alone outside your door, waiting to get in as if she hasn’t gotten her own key to your place.

“You wanna see me again?” Nika smiles all mysteriously, raising her eyebrows slightly as if she was surprised before she moves her hand, that you just now realize is still connected to your own, uup to tuck the strand of hair falling down into her line of sight. Before either of you realize what’s happened, you’ve reached up and tucked it behind her ear, not even thinking twice about the usually intimate gesture. 

Not even seeing the light blush dusting the brunette’s cheekbones, you continue on with your conversation as if nothing happened, which in your mind was true, there was nothing there at all, right?

“Of course I want to see you again, we’re friends dummy.” The american lingo has clearly started to catch on as you start sounding like some idiot in those cliche american rom-coms that Leah always made you watch with her.

“Okay then, next time.” With that, the girl turns back around to face Paige, who looks at her in a way that you can’t decipher, the both of them disappearing back into the apartment. Shrugging, you start on your walk down the stairs, trudging down the steps until you come down to the first floor, walking out the front door after giving a polite nod to the guard thingy sitting there.

“Y/N!” You can hear your name shouted as you walk towards your car and you turn around, looking up to see Nika waving at you through the open window.

Turning your whole body around to face the building, you wave back at the woman enthusiastically before you turn back around to walk to your car.

Sitting down in the driver's seat, you inhale a deep breath before exhaling smoothly, emptying your lungs of as much air as possible. The headlights light up as you turn the car on, pulling out from in front of the building and onto the small slithering roads leading to the motorway.

The calm drive home isn’t interrupted by anything thankfully, the music from the radio playing softly in the background providing a nice backtrack as the repetitive motions of driving continue all the way until you’re parked back in your garage just outside your apartment building.

Going through everything that you have to do when you get back inside in your mind, you’re almost on autopilot, locking up outside before putting in the code at the door and then taking the elevator up.

The doors slide open, only for Em to be nowhere to be found, seemingly having disappeared into thin air. Eh maybe she’s finally at her own place, you think as you go to open the door of your apartment, suspiciously finding it unlocked.

That is until you remember that you’d run out before without locking so that would make a lot of sense.

Kicking off your shoes just as you come in, there’s a murmur coming from your kitchen, people seemingly speaking in hushed tones. Em was clearly not at home at all, maybe Mrs Peters had invited herself over again. 

Walking further into the apartment, you take out your phone just to check to see if you have any new texts, unconsciously walking towards the kitchen and the low voiced chitchat. Opening up the Instagram app, you scroll through your feed for a few seconds before Em’s voice cuts through the now silent air.

“What took you so long?” She asks jokingly, but there was a sort of seriousness underlying in her tone, the thing that makes you grimace, Emma is never serious. Standing just in the doorway of the kitchen, you lean onto the pillar-like structure casually, not noticing anything being out of the ordinary.

“Oh you know how it is, Nika wanted me to-” Looking up in the middle of your sentence, your jaw drops open in shock, eyebrows shooting to your hairline and phone crashing to the ground. “No way.”

“Hey kiddo.”

[xclowniex]

EUROVISION DRAMA UPDATE

Baby Lasanga went on a podcast and talked about some drama which happened regarding Israel. It was in croation but the official translation is:

"This is the first time I’m actually talking about it. We were standing in line to join the flag parade, and everything was fine. The Irish representative and the Greek representative were standing there, and just then someone passed by and filmed a video; I guess it was someone from the Israeli delegation. Bambie started shouting at him, ‘Don’t film me!’ They yelled like an angry dog! And added that it’s a ‘celebration of love and peace’ while drooling… and everyone was really shocked. I bit my lips trying not to laugh. They talk about a celebration of love and peace while shouting and getting angry, just unnecessary drama. In the end, Bambie, Nemo, and I don’t know who else ran to the room and started crying. What’s going on with you guys? This is supposed to be Eurovision…”

“I don’t know why Bambie, Marina, and Nemo were so upset with the Israeli delegation. The Israeli delegation was not a nuisance at all, at least from what I saw. And regarding Bambie’s claim that they film her, there are cameras everywhere and everyone is taking pictures of everyone. It just amused me that she shouted about peace and love while behaving with anger and frustration.”

PLEASE DO NOTE WITH TRANSLATION: The Croatian phrase which has been translated as "angry dog" does not hold as strong of a connotation in Croatian as it does in English. It is used to emphasize severe anger, and does not mean rabid with anger, as a lot of english speakers have assumed it does.

So, what this means is:

A lot of allegations surronding the Israeli delegations actions were likely blown up, and made to seem worse than what they were

At least a portion of the claims of the Israeli delegation filming people is likely them filming Eden Golan or each other and contestants being in the background which was standard for other contestants to be in the background of any delegations videos, aka not out of normal behaviour for any delegation

Any complants brough to the EBU about the Israeli delegation had no rulings made on it, meaning that they were found unjust aka they didn't break any rules

Bambie Thug was so unprofessional that they were suspended from the flag parade in the finals due to their own behaviour, not the Israeli delegation's like they claimed

Bambi thug is a major sore loser considering their comments after the finals

What the implications of this is;

Bambi Thug is either antisemitic or xenophobic - depends on exact motives, which we do not know

Bambi Thug is also immature as they purposely lied and/or made things out to be way worse than they were to garner sympathy and/or to paint the Israeli delegation as these big bad evil people

Considering Marina was present during at least one of the situations, and still supported Bambi Thug, we also know that Marina either does similar behaviour to Bambi Thug, or thinks that behaviour is okay

The biggest thing out of all of this, is that the Israeli delegation was made out to be super evil and bad, and so much effort was put into protraying them this way, and all that effort has gone to waste because someone decided to speak out about what really happened.

Baby Lasanga also isn't even the only person who is proof of the delegation not being cunts the entire time. käärijä, in a now deleted video, was seen being nice to Eden Golan and even danced with her to his track from last years eurovision backstage. käärijä had the Israeli delegation take down the video after he recieved backlash for it and he also released an apology very similar to baby lasanga's statement.

Baby Lasanga's statement for the podcast was

"I won't beat aroud the bush and I feel like I have to respond because I owe that to the ESC community. I didn't feel like I had to express this online, but now I see that there's some confusion about it. So let me say it: U condem the actions of Israel's government. I bow my head to palestine and it's victims. I keep them in my prayers every night I go to sleep. Likewise, I will truly give my best to help those wounded by this horrigic tragedy. Love Marko"

My take aways from this are:

He can seperate citizens from their government like a normal fucking human being should

He also assumed that people would be able to do that too, but alas they weren't and he had to release a statement

He still stands behind his comments during the podcast

For anyone wanting to interact with this post, please note that this post is not about whether or not Israel should or shouldn't have attended. Whilst it is part of the overall wider conversation, I am not talking about that as eurovision already happened, Israel competed. This post is purely about how the Israeli delegation was treated and drama going on about that. Please do not start talking about whether or not Israel should have been allowed to compete.

[goranvisnjicdaily]

Croatian International Film Festival

The Šibenik festival is dedicated to the great Špira Guberina, and Goran Višnjić is also a guest...

This year, from August 8 to 11, Šibenik will host the first Croatian International Film Festival led by founder and creative director Ella Mische .

The festival was also announced by the American Variety , one of the three leading magazines whose focus is on eminent reports from the world of film and visual arts, with a special focus on events in Hollywood.

The Croatian International Film Festival primarily emphasizes women in the film industry and the media, and the official opening will be held at Trg Republike Hrvatske with an attractive gala dinner, a red carpet and an homage to Špiri Guberina , the legend of the Šibenik theater industry . For this occasion, our drama artist, the 'Dite of Šibenik' Goran Višnjić , will give an opening speech . This will be followed by three days of programs at as many as four locations: Barone Fortress, House of Arsen, Civitas Sacri and the Museum of the City of Šibenik.

Thanks to the Goran Visnjic Archive for the news!

Even with VPN nord, I cannot see all the news since I'm in Canada... Thanks for blocking news in Canada, WTH?? 🤣

[patientlibrarian]

This year, from August 8 to 11, Šibenik will host the first Croatian International Film Festival

This year, from August 8 to 11, Šibenik will host the first Croatian International Film Festival led by founder and creative director Ella Mische . The festival was also announced by the American Variety , one of the three leading magazines whose focus is on eminent reports from the world of film and visual arts, with a special focus on events in Hollywood.

The Croatian International Film Festival primarily emphasizes women in the film industry and the media, and the official opening will be held at Trg Republike Hrvatske with an attractive gala dinner, a red carpet and a tribute to Špiri Guberina , the legend of the Šibenik theater industry . For this occasion, our drama artist, the 'Dite of Šibenik' Goran Višnjić , will give an opening speech . This will be followed by three days of programs at as many as four locations: Barone Fortress, House of Arsen, Civitas Sacri and the Museum of the City of Šibenik.

On the list of received films, the audience will have the opportunity to see 6 feature-length and 20 short films, participate in panels and interviews with directors and actors. It is worth noting that CIFF has created a special 'student corner' intended for young talented film students.

"We received over 100 films from all over the world, and the shortlist will be reduced to 10 countries, among which are Croatia, the USA, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Switzerland, Germany, Ukraine and Cambodia. It is my challenge and passion to combine my two world, Croatia and America, and connect them through the film industry, and where better than in the natural environment of our coast", said the founder of the commendable first edition of CIFF Ella Mische, a young academic actress, Croatian with an American address.

The festival will be officially opened by the film 'La Cocina' starring the American star Rooney Mara .

The details of the program and which domestic and international stars will be on the red carpet have not yet been revealed

from: https://www.jutarnji.hr/

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched and books I read this Week #141 (Year 3/Week 37):

Continuing through Aki Kaurismäki’s early work:

🍿 While waiting for his new film "Fallen Leaves", I found a copy of his second feature, the absurdist Calamari Union (1985). 15 desperate guys (all named Frank), and another called Pekka (who speaks in a fake Finnish-English accent) undergo a random series of senseless misadventures, as they try to flee from one seedy suburb of downtown Helsinki to the mystical seaside of Eira. Weirdly surrealist.

🍿 Rocky VI, an early (1986) black & white short, a parody of Stallone franchise. A puny little guy fights the much bigger “Igor” (A giant with Brezhnev eyebrows) and loses.

🍿

Letter from an Unknown Woman, my first romantic tear-jerker by Max Ophüls. 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes’, and co-produced by venerable John Housman. The allure of turn of the century Vienna. Beautiful Joan Fountain looking very much like young July Greer.

🍿

My first 3 Croatian films by new female director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović [2 with Danish-Serbian actress Danica Curcic, and 2 with the beautiful Gracija Filipovic]:

🍿 Stane, a brand new 20-min. elusive story about a strong-willed woman, who was just elevated to lead her immigrant father’s thriving construction empire, while at the same time discovering her husband’s infidelity. Unspoken emotions and toxic dynamics explored. This is part of ‘Women’s Tales’, an anthology of 26 shorts commissioned by fashion brand Miu Miu, which I’m going to start devouring. 9/10.

🍿 “Dreams die in paradise”…

Her debut feature film, Murina ("Moray eel"), was exec-produced by Martin Scorsese, and won the Caméra d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Festival. Powerful, feminist story of a strong-willed 17 year old fisherman daughter, who rebels against the primitive patriarchy on the beautiful Adriatic island where she live. Her father especially is an abusive, controlling prick, trying to keep his growing mermaid daughter in her place. It evokes other sensual Mediterranean dramas full of salt water and sun, like ’The lost daughter' and 'A bigger Splash'. Mature and sensitive. 9/10.

🍿 Into the blue (2017) is her previous draft for 'Murina', a similar story about a 13 year old diver, also named Julija, played by the same actress, in the same locations, and with the same sensibilities and mature 'feel'. A story about friendship and jealousy between two girls.

🍿

Josep, a different type animated feature, more like an animated painting, by the French cartoonist Aurel [How many other directors use only one name, beside Tarsem?]. It's an artistic biography of the little-known Catalan artist Josep Bartoli, detailing his experience at a French concentration camp during the last war. In 1939, the Spanish refugees persecuted by Franco, sought asylum in France, but instead were interned in concentration camps. This was a chapter from history I was not familiar with. 8/10.

🍿

4 more re-watches:

🍿 Another go at Ron Flicke’s non-narrative Baraka ("Blessing", 1992). I introduced it to my mom, who enjoyed the first half, as it embraced the Yin of the world's vast beauty and spirituality, but as soon as it started turning toward the Yang of destruction and decay, she had to bail. But the people who pray for peace, and the people who kiss the holy stones, are the same people who burn the trees, and who slaughter all the chickens.

🍿 “Welcome to the future, bruh…”

Nightcrawler, another tense re-watch of Dan Gilroy’s brilliant debut feature. Villainous thief Jake Gyllenhaal is the ultimate urban amoral creep. This is surely how Musk would have started, if he was born on the other side of the tracks. Gilroy specifically wrote the role of Nina for his wife Rene Russo. Also, with 'Mad Men's Ted Chaough. Now I'm glad that I never got to watch television.

🍿 “…It’s called an anus…”

After reading the excellent 'Los Angeles Review of Books' article about The big chill which had premiered 40 years ago, I took another dip. Still a terrific ensemble piece, with Peak William Hurt and Meg Tilly. 9/10.

🍿 “I think loneliness probably kills more people than cancer…”

The masterful A simple favor once again: This is becoming nearly a bi-weekly event for me, it seems. I simply cannot get enough of this wonderful 'Suburban Noir'. Everything I said last month still stands: The script and dialogue are so crisp, the sound design is fantastic. The story is perfect. Shoutouts this time to the lesbian undertones with Blake Lively, to Rupert Friend's Dennis Nylon, to the Visual Style'... 10/10/10.

Bonuses: The soundtrack [not great by itself] Some bloopers and B-rolls. I'm so not looking forward to ‘Simple Favor 2’!

🍿

Life of crime, another black comedy caper, based on an Elmore Leonard novel. His hapless small-time hoods Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara try another doomed kidnapping scheme in Detroit. The 1978 Detroit ambiance is beautifully recreated. Unfortunately, the two bumbling con men are nowhere close in charisma and presence to Samuel L. Jackson in Jackie Brown or Travolta's Chili Palmer. Tim Robbins is the baddie. 3/10.

🍿

5 more shorts:

🍿 Ten minutes older, a 1978 short by Latvian documentarian Herz Frank, which consists of sublime ten minutes of reaction shots of children watching a puppet show. It must have been inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous Parisian series from 1963. (Photos Above).

🍿 A documentary about the making of John Frankenheimer 1966 horror / science fiction film Seconds, starring Rock Hudson.

🍿 Fantasmagorie, a 1908 French animated film by Émile Cohl, considered by film historians to be the first animated, using what came to be known as traditional animation methods.

🍿 Reservoir Dogs, 1992: A 12-minute Tarantino short, made with the help of the Sundance Film institute and served as a proof of concept for the feature film.

From a Deadline list of ‘Films that began as shorts’

🍿 Carl’s Date, the latest "Pixar" pre-movie short, riffing on Carl Fredricksen from 'Up'. Disney squeezes the juice out of anything with a heart, and jerks it off into a used sock under the bed. 2/10.

🍿

Unfit, The psychology of Donald Trump, with Malcolm Nance, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and a bunch of heave-duty psychiatrists. A sharp documentary, showing beyond any reasonable doubt that the orange malignant narcissist suffers from the same incurable mental illness, his idols Hitler & Mussolini did. It should have scared the world, when he still was in charge. Sadly, it's from 2020, and so much had transpired since. But hell, fuck this guy once and for all. 8/10.

🍿

The Tel Aviv to Tel Katzir Shuttle (מאסף תל אביב־תל קציר), by Moshe Shargal (2000): A lovely memoir of life at a simpler time, time I nearly remember, Israel of the late 1950's, when young people could still dream about endless horizons, unblemished landscapes and hopeful futures. It opens with a poem by Pinhas Sadeh, הליכה בשדות מרמת רחל לצור בח'ר

האושר הוא ללכת בזוהר השמש השוקעת של סוף הקיץ

כאילו הולך אתה בשדה בעמק יזרעאל, ואתה כבן 16

וכאילו כל החיים, כל החיים, עדיין

האהבות, הכאבים, המתיקות

אי אפשר לתאר את השלווה הזאת

השמיים, הרוח, האדמה החומה

רק אלוהים יודע

ממערב משתפל ויורד חורש ירוק

אורנים וברושים נעים לאט

ואתה הולך לבדך בעולם בשדה בשמש השוקעת של סוף הקיץ

איש בסתיו חייו

ובוכה

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[sketchy-angel]

Dual (Dvojina) movie review

Dual is one of my favorite sapphic films of all time and in this post I'll try to convince you all to watch it with as little spoilers as possible.

I discovered it while browsing through a site that lists Croatian movies. Here is the link to this film's page

As far as I can tell it's only available to watch on Vimeo for $2.50 but I'm sure you can find other sites with English subtitles.

Most of the movie is in English with occasional uses of Slovenian and Danish. When I watched it on Vimeo the non-English parts only had Croatian subtitles which is why I think it's better to find an alternative site if you don't speak those languages.

The movie was made by two Croatian studios - Studio Dim and PomPom Film, but the director, Nejc Gazvoda, is Slovenian.

Synopsis

"Due to a weather problem a plane from Denmark is forced to land at the Slovene airport. Amongst the passengers being taken to a hotel in Ljubljana, is a quiet, beautiful young Danish girl Iben(25).

This is how she meets Tina(25) who drives a shuttle as a summer job. Iben asks Tina to take her for a midnight drive around town and Tina agrees even though the request seems a bit odd.

The unexpected love blooms between the two girls, but they aren't able to realize their love because od one's big secret and other girl's try to find her place in the world. "

This movie took me on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Here's what some people commented on IMDb...

"The importance of chance meetings cannot be neglected in the lives of human beings as they prepare them to discover life and its varied facets."

"It's a beautiful movie with the melancholy coldness of Eastern Europe combined with the Nordic neurotic atmosphere."

"This movie is so realistic that you almost feel like you're eavesdropping."

"This is not a love story, but rather reaches higher, to the service of man to man in his search for freedom and meaning. That's how nature works too, dying supports (new) life. Nature sustains life."

I agree with all of these, especially with the person who said that this film makes you feel like you're eavesdropping. The dialogue is realistic and the delivery is perfect and really pulls on the heart strings.

There is one scene in particular that makes me cry every time. It's hopeful but also makes me feel hopeless at the same time. I don't even know how to describe it without diving into spoiler territory.

This movie is not for everyone, especially if you're looking for a happily ever after kind of ending, but I'd highly recommend watching it if you're looking for a realistic and emotionally driven drama.

Also, I really like the soundtrack, in particular the song Cold Hearts by Monkey Cup Dress. Here's the official music video for that song featuring some snippets from the film as well as scenes acted out by different actresses (I'm not sure why, but it's a nice MV)

[themovieblogonline]

Wolfs Review: Disappointing Effort But With Right Ingredients

Jon Watts’ Wolfs is a film that promises an engaging blend of action and comedy, fueled by the undeniable star power of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Set against a backdrop of high-stakes situations, gritty violence, and quick-witted banter, the film introduces two professional fixers forced to work together on a chaotic job, despite their preference to fly solo. While Wolfs delivers some well-executed action sequences and playful repartee between its leads, it ultimately struggles to find a balance between its ambitious narrative and the need for a coherent story, resulting in a film that entertains in bursts but leaves much to be desired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLJUPjiRbAM Plot: The plot centers on Jack (George Clooney) and Nick (Brad Pitt), two veteran fixers who get roped into an unexpected and increasingly convoluted job. The story kicks off when Margaret (Amy Ryan), an older woman running for District Attorney, accidentally kills a young man, The Kid (Austin Abrams), in a hotel room. Panicked and desperate, she calls Jack for help. Jack arrives prepared to clean up the mess, but his straightforward operation quickly spirals out of control when another fixer, Nick, arrives, sent by the hotel’s mysterious owner, Pam (Poorna Jagannathan). Compelling dynamic: From the outset, the film introduces a compelling dynamic between Jack and Nick—two lone wolves forced to cooperate under unusual circumstances. Clooney and Pitt’s performances play to their strengths, with Clooney bringing his trademark suave charm and Pitt delivering his usual blend of cool nonchalance. Their chemistry is undeniable, and much of the film’s charm comes from watching these two seasoned actors play off one another. The banter between them, filled with snarky comments and begrudging respect, provides the comedic backbone of the film, even if the humor is sometimes hit or miss. What begins as a seemingly simple cleanup job quickly spirals into a complex web of drug deals, hidden agendas, and escalating chaos. As Jack and Nick dig deeper, they discover a bag of drugs in the hotel room and a hidden camera, making them suspect they’ve been set up. Their journey takes them from hotel rooms to high-speed car chases, run-ins with shady characters like Dimitri "The Croatian," and violent encounters with armed forces like "The Albanians." First act and pacing issues: While the film’s first act sets the stage for an exciting caper, the narrative starts to lose focus as the plot grows increasingly convoluted. The introduction of numerous side characters and subplots, including drug kingpin Lagrange, The Kid’s involvement in a drug ring, and the fixers’ tenuous connection to a larger conspiracy, makes the story feel overstuffed. There are moments where the film tries to be too clever for its own good, with twists and turns that add complexity but fail to provide satisfying payoffs. The pacing suffers as a result, with certain scenes dragging on while others rush through key developments. The film often feels like it’s juggling too many elements—action, comedy, mystery, and drama—without fully committing to any one of them. This lack of cohesion ultimately weakens the impact of the film, as it becomes difficult to stay invested in the increasingly convoluted plot. Impressive action: Despite its narrative shortcomings, Wolfs does deliver on its promise of action-packed sequences. From high-speed chases to shootouts with rival gangs, the film excels in its more visceral moments. The action is slickly choreographed, with Watts showcasing his ability to create tension-filled set pieces. A standout scene involves Jack and Nick navigating a shootout with "The Albanians" in a warehouse, where the choreography and cinematography shine. These moments are undoubtedly the film’s highlights, providing the adrenaline rush that action fans crave. The comedic elements, while present, are more of a mixed bag. Clooney and Pitt’s banter is enjoyable but can feel repetitive as the film progresses. Some jokes land well, particularly when the two are forced to confront their age and physical limitations in the field—bad backs and all—while others feel forced, disrupting the overall tone. Watts seems to struggle with finding the right balance between humor and tension, resulting in a film that can feel uneven tonally. Cast: One of the film’s saving graces is its cast, with Clooney and Pitt delivering strong performances that elevate the material. Clooney’s Jack is cool under pressure, his calculated demeanor contrasting with Pitt’s more laid-back and impulsive Nick. Their dynamic is engaging to watch, especially as they begrudgingly come to respect each other’s methods. Amy Ryan is also noteworthy as Margaret, a woman caught in the crossfire of the chaos she helped create. While her role is more limited, Ryan manages to bring depth to her character, adding a layer of desperation and vulnerability to the story. Austin Abrams as The Kid adds a layer of unpredictability to the mix, though his character feels underdeveloped in comparison to the two leads. Poorna Jagannathan’s Pam is an intriguing figure but doesn’t get nearly enough screen time to make a lasting impact. The film misses an opportunity to explore these supporting characters in greater depth, which could have added richness to the narrative. Overall: As Wolfs hurtles toward its conclusion, the film attempts to tie together its various plot threads, but the resolution feels rushed and unsatisfying. While the action-heavy finale provides some thrilling moments, the lack of clear answers and a coherent narrative leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. The film tries to make a statement about loyalty and trust, particularly in the context of Jack and Nick’s relationship, but it’s buried beneath the layers of confusion that the plot creates. Wolfs is a film that has all the right ingredients—a talented cast, an intriguing premise, and moments of well-executed action—but ultimately falls short of its potential. Jon Watts’ attempt to blend action, comedy, and mystery results in an uneven and often confusing narrative that fails to fully satisfy. While the performances of Clooney and Pitt keep the film entertaining, the lack of focus and clear direction prevents Wolfs from leaving a lasting impact. For fans of the genre or the lead actors, there’s still enough here to warrant a watch, but Wolfs ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. Read the full article

[gregor-samsung]

Majka asfalta [Mother of Asphalt] (Dalibor Matanić  - 2010)

[firstclassmovies]

WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS (1985). Emir Kusturica directs a drama of childhood life under Stalin.

[gemsofgreece]

https://youtu.be/iAK4n0kl0pM

Came across this film on YouTube that shows the Smyrna catastrophe of 1922, but in the title it's says it was a banned movie why though? Because it showed one of the darkest parts of greek history? Now of course there is no problem there is the movie "Smyrna my beloved" and the new season of the Red River will focus on these tragic event as well.

I was so happy in my ignorant bliss. I searched why the movie was banned and it turns out Turkey protested because "this wouldn't improve" the affairs of the two countries. And Greece just banned the movie. Wow. (Meanwhile, Turkey has done a movie of sorts for the Sack of Constantinople where they present themselves as SavioursTM of the Byzantine people (saving them from themselves, of course) and Constantine XI Palaeologos, quite possibly one of the bravest and most decent Byzantine Greek emperors, as a useless idiot and a generally weak and problematic person. I have deleted the details of the description from my mind. Greece was sleeping soundly when that movie aired, I suppose.)

As for "1922", again it pains me to say it but I don't like that pseudo-artistic style of long silences, weird camera angles and the like. Just like I couldn't watch Pasolini's Medea with my beloved Maria Callas for the exact same reason. That weird wave of too artistic for art's sake European cinema isn't for me. Especially when it is for grave historical events - it should be realistic and serious. I am done with both the pseudo-artistic and the silly romantic drama in the center of events, when it comes to such topics.

Whoever is interested in this, I'd rather recommend the book the movie was based on: "Το Νούμερο 31328" - "Number 31328", a superb autobiographical book written by Ilias Venezis in 1924, only two years after the events.

The book is also published in French, Italian, Portugeuse, German, Serbian and Croatian, Romanian and Spanish (Latin American and European). Interestingly, it is not yet translated to English.

[dr-archeville]

Babylon 5: In Memory of Mira Furlan [source]

Mira Furlan passed away on January 20, 2021.  She was a personal friend - we met because of her starring role as Ambassador Delenn in the TV series "Babylon 5".

Mira was born on Sept. 7, 1955, in Zagreb, Croatia, where she was a leading actress in theater, film and TV, and was part of the Croatian National Theater.  Some had described her as “the Balkan equivalent of Meryl Streep.”

She emigrated the to United States in 1991 with her husband, Goran Gajic, a writer and director.  She is survived by Goran, and their son, Marko Lav Gajic.

In addition to "Babylon 5", she was also known for the recurring role of Danielle Rousseau on the popular ABC drama “Lost".

I already miss her incredibly.

John Hudgens was hired by Joe Straczynski to create official "Babylon 5" music videos for him to use at science fiction conventions, and later to promote the show to networks.  They produced eight video over the run of the series, with a series of memorials for fallen cast members over the years since.

[loveallthegays]

Jacob Dudman in LGBTQ+ Drama 'Now & Then'

Jacob Dudman, best known for his role in the recent Netflix teen drama Fate: A Winx Saga, has joined upcoming British LGBTQ+ feature Now & Then.

The film will see Dudman — who will portray the younger version of the lead character, Chris — reteam with previously announced lead Richard Armitage, having played his son in Netflix drama The Stranger, based on the Harlan Coben novel.

"I am thrilled to be joining the brilliant team already attached to Now & Then and reuniting with Richard, to explore the character of Chris in all its depths," Dudman told The Hollywood Reporter. "The story struck me with its power and poetry. It’s not only an empowering LGBTQ+ project, but a heartbreaking tale of the human experience."

Adapted from William Corlett's award-winning novel by screenwriter and noted British casting director Matt Western and being directed by Tom Vaughan, the film — first announced by The Hollywood Reporter in 2020 — tells the story of a mother in her late 60s and her gay, middle-aged son who are forced to undertake an exploration of their past mistakes and regrets to try and make sense of their present condition and relationship with each other.

"Jacob Dudman is, without doubt, one of the most interesting young actors in the U.K.," said Western, who also produces alongside Croatian film and TV producer Bruno Mustić. "His understanding of the subtle complexity of the role of ’young Chris’ is extraordinary, and we are thrilled to welcome him to, what I believe will be, a career-defining role."

[goranvisnjicdaily]

Croatian International Film Festival - 2024

✨ FESTIVAL PASSES & FULL LINE UP NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE CROATIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Click 👉 HERE to buy your Festival Passes

For this occasion, on August 8, our drama artist, the 'Dite of Šibenik' Goran Višnjić , will give an opening speech . This will be followed by three days of programs at as many as four locations: Barone Fortress, House of Arsen, Civitas Sacri and the Museum of the City of Šibenik.

Sources 👇

@croatianinternationalfilmfest on Instagram Jutarnji

[thepeoplesmovies]

Watch UK Trailer For Coming Of Age Drama Murina

Watch UK Trailer For Croatian Coming Of Age Drama Murina @ModernFilmsEnt #GFF22 #CliffCurtis #Murina #MartinScorsese #WorldCinema

Modern Films have released the UK Trailer for Croatian coming of age drama Murina. The Cannes (Camera d’Or Award) winning film recently made it’s UK premiere closing this month’s Glasgow Film Festival, now the film is set for nationwide release. Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic directs this one which is her feature debut after several short films. we follow teenage girl Julija who  decides to replace…