directed by KSENIJA MARINKOVIĆ ZRINKO OGRESTA LAZAR RISTOVSKI SYNOPSIS Vesna is a middle-aged visiting nurse in Zagreb. Quietly she goes about her daily life of mundane chores: babysitting for her son, helping her daughter prepare for her wedding. Out of the blue she gets a call from her husband Ž arko, who left his family on the eve of the war to fight for ‘the other side’. His reappearance sends her carefully reconstructed life in a tailspin, endangering her new identity. Vesna (Ksenija MarinkoviÊ) is a middle- Shooting Star 2016 nominee) has just reach out to her and to reconnect with his aged woman who works as a visiting finished her studies - she cannot find a family. nurse in Zagreb. Twenty years ago, she job, but hopes to work for a government Jadranka and Vladimir refuse any contact lived in Sisak, a small Croatian industri- agency. Jadranka is also getting ready for with their father, knowing that his past al town she was forced to leave during a wedding with a man who is considerably could bring back the stigma which they the war, when a violent incident almost older than her. barely managed to escape not so long destroyed the life of her family. In the ago. capital, she managed to hide her identity One day Vesna gets an unexpected call and start anew. from her husband Ž arko (Lazar Ristovski), At first, Vesna too tries to remain distant a man who left her on the eve of the war, and cold, but after years of loneliness, Today her children are all grown up: her after which he was sentenced for war cri- something in her starts to break. But son Vladimir (Robert Budak) is a business mes in Croatia and Bosnia. They haven’t when the news about Ž arko’s release hits man who now has a family of his own; spoken nor heard from each other in more the media, Vesna’s past starts to creep her daughter Jadranka (Tihana LazoviÊ, than two decades, but now he wants to up on her much faster that she thought. DIRECTOR’SON THE OTHER SIDE NOTE The main protagonist of On the other Side is a woman named Vesna. That fact highly influenced my approach to the film. This film is seen and experienced from mostly Vesna’s point of view. This film is seen and experienced from particularly delicate and important: how character who is central in a given sce- mostly Vesna’s point of view. In that sen- to transfer to the screen all subtle nuan- ne. That did not necessarily mean that se, I tried to reduce to the minimum every ces of characters and their relations in I relied upon subjective viewpoint alone, form of pronouncedly director’s (author’s) the most suggestive way? My first task but that I reached for all cinematic me- point of view. Since this film is marked- was to „feel“ and recognize every flicker ans of expression which could create as ly psychological, but at the same time it of emotion in every scene and record it subjective and as personal „feel“ of the has a powerful story, one of my tasks was in image and sound. While doing that, scene as possible. to make sure it developed in both those I tried to make scenes feel subjective, directions. Psychological dimension was experienced from the viewpoint of the Zrinko Ogresta ON THE OTHER SIDE - pressbook BIOGRAPHY ZRINKO OGRESTA Born in 1958 in Virovitica, Croatia. using their emotional and psychological Italia, Grand Prix Pula FF and GP Rome Screenwriter and director, professor of fractures to bring to light the complexes IFF MEDFILM (Isprani/Washed Out, film directing at the Academy of Drama- that haunt the society in general, while 1995/1996), Grand Prix Haifa IFF, GP tic Arts in Zagreb and a member of the subtly analysing social and political for- Rome IFF MEDFILM, Best director & Au- European Film Academy in Berlin. Gra- ces behind it. dience Award Pula FF (Crvena prasina/ duated from The Academy of Dramatic Ogresta’s films were screened and awar- Red Dust, 1999) Crystal Globe Special Arts in Zagreb, Department for Film and ded at renowned international and local Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary IFF, Grand TV Direction, January 1982. festivals (Venice, Karlovy Vary, Lon- Prix Denver IFF, GP Milan IFF, GP Pula FF Praised for their strong visual style, well don, Montpellier, Haifa, Denver, Milan, (Tu/Here, 2003/2004), Audience Award articulated mise-en-scène and innova- Pula). Some of the most notable prizes Motovun IFF (Iza stakla/Behind The Glass, tive storytelling, his films focus on the are the Nomination for European Film 2008) … anxieties that lurk behind the well culti- Award in the category of best young di- vated burgeois facade of the characters, rector (Krhotine/Fragments, 1991), Prix side“, but to „the other side of the mind“ enrich each other or suppress each other. termined by gender. It was amazing to as well, since my protagonists go beyond Namely, as a film director I’m not prima- work with the two leading actors, Ksenija rational behaviour into rather irrational. rily interested in storytelling, and with MarinkoviÊ and Lazar Ristovski. Ksenija The way scenes are presented is also Mate I entered into a proper storytelling. MarinkoviÊ is a world class actress! The The characters in your film are running „on the other side“; there is often an The screenplay I’ve created with Mate left role she is playing in my film suits her WITH ZRINKO OGRESTA away from their past, but it turns out that obstacle between the character and the me puzzled, I didn’t immediately have all perfectly, both as an actress and as a & this is impossible. In a way, this reflects camera, as if we were watching „from the solutions to situations resulting from the person. I think it was her most chall- our society’s attitude towards recent sidelines“. Each scene has been filmed script. That fact stirred up a particular enging role so far, and she played it Q A past. Can your film be regarded as a poli- in just one uninterrupted shot. I’m glad creative Eros in me. I am one of those impeccably. When it comes to Lazar Some of the elements of the story look as if they walked right of the newspaper tical commentary or a statement? that those who have seen the film have authors who are always very prepared, Ristovski, he was my first and only choice headlines. What attracted you to do this It is definitely not a political commentary, not noticed that, because if they had, it but my usual preparedness was not eno- for the role and it started from that. story? political commentaries are not my cup of would have probably been taken as a „vi- ugh for this film. Simply, I had to look for Lazar is an excellent, extraordinarily The problem this film deals with has been tea. This film primarily tries to put forward sible“ director’s choice, which wouldn’t some solutions during filming, I had to talented actor, absolutely under- occupying me for years. The phenomenon a humanist attitude, something which in be good. Long takes are here to give the listen attentively to my film, hear what It used in the roles of this kind. He of forgiveness: are we capable of forgiving my opinion all of us living here have to scene as authentic feel as possible, to wants, let It be the master, not me. And has never played a similar role without hurting the innocent ones around adopt if we want to continue living like create the impression that there is no agreeing to that is one of the most beauti- and he has created something really us? Our reality has made it possible for good neighbours, without tongue in cheek editing and manipulation of reality. ful creative experiences in my life. special. He often surprised me, there me to put the theme I find interesting into and cocked guns. were many situations in which he reacted a story which is pressing, which illustrates This is the first time you work with Mate The actors in the film are excellent in both as an actor and a director. Some of our present time and mirrors our recent Your directing choices are very impor- Matiš iÊ who is a well known Croatian playing their characters, especially his comments on certain dialogues or past. Although the tragedy that befell this tant in creating the sense of anxiety: the playwriter and screenwriter, known for the subtle fractures on the surfaces understanding of his character were part of Europe some twenty years ago is lurking shots leave a feeling of anxiety, his grotesque political and social satires. of their everyday lives. Can you tell us truly brilliant, exceeding what we have not rarely interpreted in film, I think that and you also film characters through Since your sensibility as a filmmaker is more about your casting choices? written in the script. enough time has passed since those glass surfaces a lot. Can you tell us more quite different, how did you two match I’ve never finished a screenplay withouth unfortunate years, and that in that sense about your aesthetic choices? together? knowing the cast. I like to keep an open I’ve reached a sort of personal catharsis. The title of the film „On The Other Side“ Through collaboration with Mate I’ve made mind to the choice of actors to the extent That is why in this film I’m trying not to has a metaphorical meaning both in a new friend and an excellent associate.