A Serbian Film(2011)

In all of my years of watching Horror, Cult, and Exploitation films, A Serbian Film is the film that pushed me to the boundaries of viewing, and wondering why I watch such films. Most Horror film fans love to find the find "the next sickest thing", the film that just might stand out as the"grossest thing you have ever seen" type of films. I remember when those films were the Faces of Death films, then the Nekromantik's, followed closely by the Guinea Pig series, and now the whole "torture porn" movement. Most Horror nuts just have to push the envelope, and see the film, that others had to shut off in mid-viewing. All of the aforementioned films were child's play to me, none of them grossed me out, or scared me, or much less made an impact on me. That held true until I saw A Serbian Film late last year. This film is so horrid on every level, that it sits in the back of your mind for days after viewing, clawing it's way into you're psyche, definitely making you question as to why you would watch such an immoral film in the first place? I must say that the film is a very well made piece of art, and I don't think that it panders to the crowd it's been pitched too. A film like this doesn't come across very often, in fact, I have never seen anything like it. It pushes every boundary, breaks every taboo, and leaves you wondering if what you have seen, is in fact real?

A Serbian Film is indeed a serbian film, and it is about an ex-porn star who has retired from the business to be a family man with his wife, and young son. He is still friends with a woman who he starred with in many of the adult films. She tells him of some rich business men, who are fans of his "work", and wants to hire him for some "specialty work". They want to give him a very large(but undisclosed) amount to star in one last porn film. This amount will set him for life, and he will never have to work again. When his wife learns of this offer, she urges her husband to take the job. He goes to meet the filmmaker/investor, who will tell him nothing at all about the script or nature of the adult film. They only will tell him that it is a specialty film, and will be made for a specific individual, and will not be available to the general public. He decides to take the offer, and on the first day of shooting, something happens that makes him feel very uncomfortable about doing the film. He decides that he no longer wants to be involved, and goes to tell the investor/director, that he is quitting.

From this point, the film becomes a spiralling, drug-fueled nightmare. They start drugging the man to force him to perform the nightmarish acts that they want in the film. Sometimes you can't tell what is actually happening, or what is drug-induced hallucinations. Any disgusting taboo starts being introduced and crossed and smashed at this point. They even give the man a cocktail of drugs that are intended to make a bull horny, and the effects are the only scene that could be called laughable in the the entire film. But as soon as that happens, things get worse, and his family are brought into the picture!! I am being very quiet about the details of the plot, and the disgusting acts because I would feel disgusting even describing them. I do know that the Unrated version that has been released on DVD in America, had to be trimmed of a mere 22 second scene. I personally, and glad that the scene in particular has been cut, because if you want to see that one uncut, you are in fact a deviant. You have heard me mention before, films that make you want to shower afterwards, A Serbian Film, makes you want to be be boiled in hot oil afterwards. Then you still couldn't get the grimy feeling off of your skin. As I said before, it will haunt you for days afterwards. As a film fan, you will know if this is something that you want/need to see? Just don't say that I didn't warn you. Take the film that you personally think is the worst thing that you have ever seen, and multiply it by 10,000 and you will be getting close. If you combined Irreversible, Nekromantik, and Martyrs, that would still be a Disney film compared to A Serbian Film......and I still don't know if it has any redeeming value??