Young and Healthy as a Rose (1971)

Director: Jovan Jovanović

Country: Yugoslavia

Award: none

Movement: Yugoslav Black Wave

Video to come...

Description

After its official release, the film was shown only twice: at the Pula Film Festival and at the Student's Cultural Center in Belgrade. Screenings were stopped due to its perceived anti-establishment content, although it was never officially banned. The premiere also coincided with several other films such as Plastic Jesus and W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism, which provoked a regime reaction and confrontation with the Black Wave movement. The first subsequent public screening of the film took place 35 years after its release, as part of the 2006 FEST. A young criminal from Belgrade, Stevan, nicknamed Stiv, engages in "borrowing" (a then-official term for theft) cars and petty crime. Along the way, he tells the audience about his antics and misconducts, summarising that every attempt to rehabilitate him has failed. Slowly rising to power, he starts to kill for money and lives a life of decadence, surrounded by sex and drugs. He attracts the attention of a police inspector, who becomes his accomplice. Stevan quickly takes over organized crime in the city. He becomes not only a celebrity but also an idol to young followers who take over buildings in the city for him. He shoots around town and, along with his followers, takes over Hotel Jugoslavija, where they are interviewed by reporters. A police chase breaks out and the camera follows Stevan in his attempt to escape, at the end of which he gets shot by a policeman. The scene is interrupted by footage of Stevan sitting outside a cafe, where he tells the audience that retribution against criminals is possible only in films, and that real-life criminals go unpunished for their crimes. He ends with the line "I am your future".

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