Tears for Sale (2008)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Strong and Moving!

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This movie is simply a masterpiece. Its surrealist approach is similar to but goes much farther than Kusturica's flying fishes and brides (which are, by all means, the most charming features of Arizona Dream or Underground). It is the kind of film that makes you dream about another - not necessarily better, but nevertheless fascinating - world. This is especially remarkable as other Balkan cinematographers, such as the Romanians, are growing increasingly famous due to the triumph at Cannes and elsewhere of their sinister, realist movies that push the Italian post-WWII neo-realism to a darker, unbearable degree. Watching those films will certainly make you dream too, but you'll have nightmares. Watching Tears for Sale (or Charleston & Vendetta, which is the translation of the original title) is a delighting experience in post-modern surrealism. For the time being, the problem is that the movie seems to be available mostly in Serbian. Still, after some effort I was able to find on Internet an excellent French language version. But I am sure that subtitled DVD versions will soon be available. One final caveat: if you are an admirer of Hollywood movies and prefer 'believable dialogues' (as one of my fellow-reviewers does) definitely DO NOT WATCH Tears for Sale. Go to a theater that screens Spiderman 9 and you'll be happy. Choose Stojanovic's film only if you really like high-end cinema.

One Big Dose of a Great Plot, Music, Camera & Set Design, Few metaphorical Messages, One amateur Screenplay and lot of bad Acting! That is how one of the newest Serbian ''to-cinema-returning'' and ''pretended-to-mesmerize-long-ago-sleepy-public'' movies could be described in short. New wave of global Hollywoodization clearly affected new Serbian Cinematography, with this, more, or less effects-fabricated fantasy and drama work serving as a perfect example of already proved worldwide magic recipe. And what about promoted originality and authenticity (of the Serbian Cinematography, Mentality, Culture...) No, not in this one. So turbulent political and economy Transition of the Serbian Society came to the Serbian Cinema too.However, some of the important elements, previously mentioned, especially - original Plot, Music, Set Design and Camera are very good news in new Serbian (and former great? Yugoslav) cinematography, somehow always ''full of talents'' and always with lack on visual and acoustic elements. And money, of course! Example of ''Carlston za Ognjenku'' and significant involvement of affirmed foreign film companies in its shooting and production certainly brings a lot of optimism for the future. However #2, with no doubt, this is yet another one debut work, from one more ''Child of the Serbian Movie''. Yes, the young director is someone's ''already-in-the-bussines'' son. And yes, his baby-movie has been therefore pretty much supported ''at all costs'', if not even forced from some top levels. But this is not my biggest concern. There are so much time in the future for young Stojanovic to prove himself and his work. The reason of my deeply worry is certainly our new generation of the so-called prosperous young actor-stars. Those who need and should inherit and continue decades of proved good acting in our cinematography... Those who became stars too early. Even before they became actors! I'm worried. Are you?

Well I've just returned from the cinema after watching this movie. I have dual thoughts about it. First the camera and the acting are stunning for a Serbian movie, we(Serbs) have reach a Hollywood production level. But the weak part of a movie is screenplay or a plot. First a women tribe is chaotic, there is no matriarch in the village, and two female protagonists are quite independent for Serbian women from that ages. The love concept is based on nothing, and male characters lacks personality. There is that vineyard, that the girls go to, that has a planted mine field.Why do they go to that vineyard? To die...(It was called Mineyard in the movie)If they died there, the village wouldn't get any grapes at all, and few of them get out alive. The concept of the vineyard is quite illogical. As I said before, love concept is illogical also, as they madly fall in love in some guys that they have just seen. I compared it to a movie called The Wickerman, where the matriarch tribe girls abandon theirs feelings for the tribe's sake. In this movie that isn't a case. The girls are quite careless for the rest of the tribe and want those two men for themselves. Male characters are quite feeble, and annoying. Trey are made like they are from an other world, not realizing a current situation. They are certainly not the model of men two fell in love at the first site. My final word would be:"At the beginning of the movie you are on zero point, at the end of the movie you are on the zero point. Nothing changes, everyone is miserable as in the beginning". Also they categorized this movie as a comedy. THIS IS NOT A COMEDY, it's a drama with an elements of horror.

This movie is.... a tad strange... It's fast, unclear here and there. Some of it's scenes are done in a manner thought to be appealing to a foreign audience, the domestic one isn't all that great, and this is understandable. The acting is good, the dialogues are lively even when they become rough. The acting is, actually the strongest part of this movie, even the extras seem convincing and natural. The story has a nice current, flow, but can be fast at times. The main characters go through certain story progressions expediently, and some scenes are abruptly speedy. It has an interesting idea, a good cast, a life to it... but the look of it was a little too modern, trying a little to hard to reach a broader audience, remember that movie inside a movie in 'Simone' with Pacino, it felt a bit like that. It's definitely different from the other domestic productions. I don't even know what to think of it, it left me a bit fuzzy and confused, but i do recommend it, if for nothing else, then because of the strong, mostly female, cast.