This post is my entry for IndieWeb Movie Club #004.

I had been looking forward to this month's movie as Sara had mentioned prior to her announcement post that it would be a Slovenian film. I originally thought I hadn't seen one before but going through a list of Slovenian films I found that in fact I had seen Slovenka (2009). Still, I had no idea what to expect for this film as Sara mentioned that this "Political Thriller" could also be seen as a comedy.

One point that Sara also brought up was related to the availability of a chosen movie for IndieWeb Movie Club in different regions. I'm currently in the US so for me this movie was available to rent or buy on Amazon or watch for free (with ads) on Tubi. Tubi was a service I had never used before but it was nice that I didn't have to create an account or login to be able to watch. They also seem to have a few other Slovenian films, so I'll probably be coming back to watch more there in the future.

Usually after I finish watching a movie, I check if any of the movie podcasts I listen to have discussed it in the past. I find that I usually learn something new whether it be related to the production, background, or cultural significance. Surprisingly, I could not find much discussion about this film so I tried venturing out to other podcasts, videos, or posts and still came up empty handed.

One interesting thing I did find while searching for more information about this film was the fact that the composer, Kristian Sensini, has his own website. Not only that but he has also shared several reviews for the this film's soundtrack on his own site which felt very IndieWeb to me.

This film started out very strong as it sets the clear threat to the main character and lays out what I thought the rest of the movie would be about. I was missing some context in relation to the country's political history and more specifically how it affected the smaller towns like the fictional one portrayed here, but it did not feel unfamiliar. The movie quickly shifts to something completely different and it continued taking unexpected, to me, turns which at the very least made it an enjoyable watch.

I don't think I got much comedy until one of the last few scenes. Spoilers ahead: When Franta has his last heart attack, it felt so overacted by the cast that I couldn't help but smile. It's a very specific trope that I enjoy in movies where someone has some injury or health issue that is potentially treatable but all that everyone around can do is look at them while his daughter very aggressively cries. Maybe this isn't necessarily what Sara was getting at but it did lighten an otherwise fairly heavy movie.

There are one or two subplots that I felt weren't necessary as part of the main plot or could have been trimmed in order to expand some of the other subplots. This wasn't an issue while viewing it but by the end it sort of just felt like it was there to add a romance story which came out of nowhere. Romantic subplots are always wedged into stories for no reason so this is no fault of this movie but more generally the industry.

I'm really looking forward to reading what others thought of this film as it will fill those gaps that I would have otherwise gotten from podcasts.