Serbian movies were one of the themes for Fantasia 2010. Since I usually try to select my movies from different countries, I figured I should at least buy tickets for one from Serbia.
From the Serbian movie lineup, Tears For Sale seemed to be the one with the highest level of sanity. As far as I remember, I also think it was the only one which was set in the past. If we add to this the fact that it is about a village populated solely by women, I think Tears For Sale was a good pick.
The movie is taking place in a small Serbian village during the first world war. At that time, all the men were gone to war, so very few of them were left in the village. As only one old man is left in the village, we are explained the cause of death for the last two men. It is important to note that one of them died transforming the village vineyard into a mine yard.
The two main characters are sisters. Their job is to cry at other people's funeral. Because of the vineyard being turned into a mine yard, there is a new dead girl every week (or whatever the regular interval is). Every young girl's life in this village is a tragedy, as each and every one of them is bound to die a virgin. That is the consequence of the village being only women.
For this reason, the only old man left in the village is very valuable, no matter how old and ugly he is. However, both sisters end up killing him by accident. They end up on a quest to bring more male to the village, haunted by their grandmother's ghost.
Each of them actually succeeds in finding a suitable groom. They are now faced with the possibility of never going back to their village and keep the men for themselves, or going back and complete their mission to the village.
They eventually go back to the village. Obviously, this causes a lot of drama, as the situation makes it hard for both men to be faithful to their new girlfriend.
My intention here is not to spoil the movie, so I will not say more.
I actually think that the setting was very original. I also think that by the end of the movie, each sister had her share of decisions to make, and we are able to see the consequences of the choices they made. A lot of things happen once they get back home, and it is very easy for the public to consider what could have happened if some little details had been a bit different.
The movie itself lasts 100 minutes, but it actually felt really short. Maybe this feeling was a consequence of the general setting in the village being a longer video sequence than the happenings once they get back with their husbands. By the end of the movie, I felt as though the ending had been a bit rushed.
I am left with one big question mark about this village. Why do they keep going in the mine yard? Every week they pick the shortest straw to decide who will be the one to die? That's plainly stupid. They could simply avoid drinking wine. Or start a new vine yard at some other place. This was a key element of the plot, but it was simply not logical...
For a first contact with Serbian cinema, Tears For Sale was not so bad. I could not say it was one of my best movies from Fantasia 2010, and I think I was expecting a little more from the movie, but I still enjoyed myself pretty much.
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