The Load

It's a shame this movie has only 12 reviews. There's little apparent action, yet at the same time a great deal is going on. Small sounds and momentary views say everything. There's not a single smile in the movie, and I don't recommend it if you're sad. But its quiet bleakness is devastating, a mix of the true horror of war and the pain of everyday life.

Best part of "The Load" is the realistic overall feel and the sets, which are real locations. I'm a fan of acting and there's no complaint on that score - all concerned are competent and contribute to the aforementioned realism of the production.

But "The Load" quickly becomes the "Movie Where Nothing Happens" and we are left waiting for a little action; a tense scene, a confrontation, maybe a fight. But I'm afraid there's none of that to be found here. As stated, a great realistic feel and good acting performances but not compelling enough for a higher rating.

***** 5/10 - Website no longer prints my star rating.

Vlada is a solitary truck driver in war torn Kosovo of 1999. Because jobs are few and far between, he happily accepts an assignment to haul locked and hidden cargo to Belgrade. Once you make a decision, Vlada figures, things get easier as you go along. He is so wrong in this assumption. In the next 24 hours Vlada will experience repeated shocks as the cruelties of war are impressed upon him even by seemingly innocuous things such as a lighter, pen, hitchiker and marble.

Vlada's encounters reveal how easy it is for the average person to get entangled in something sinister and beyond their comprehension. It is an intriguing yet somber reflection on war and the scars it inflicts on people. Leon Lucev won awards for his stoic and unassuming portrayal of Vlada. The film is a bit predictable. Critically acclaimed at Cannes and seen at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Kosovo War of the late 1990s was one of the final acts of the break-up of what was once Yugoslavia. In 'The Load' a truck driver is assigned to transport a mysterious cargo to Belgrade, across a country under NATO bombardment. But anyone hoping for shots of blood 'n' guts will have to look elsewhere, as this film is less concerned with the mechanics of the conflict - even if it is the work's raison d'être - than it is with showing how the citizens of a country at war adjust and carry on, absorbing the conflict into their everyday lives.

Lead actor Leon Lucev (IMDb will not allow the correct spelling of his surname!) is a tough-looking bloke but as Vlada the trucker he delivers a performance that is a far cry from what the viewer may have expected to be the usual tough-guy role. Vlada is a taciturn man but not unfriendly: he attempts conversation with a teenage hitchiker and has to make all the running when talking to his son. Perhaps his quietness arises from disappointment with his life: he has to take the trucking job after being made redundant from his previous employment. His wife is ill and those NATO bombs are getting closer...

As Vlada's journey continues we get some nice shots of wintry, bleakly attractive countryside. Towards the end we see what Vlada has been transporting and a hint at actions he may take as a result. Also at the end of the film the significance of a stolen lighter is explained in an affecting story.

This is not a fast-moving film and will certainly not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.

Seen at the 2018 London Film Festival.

Slow moving and dense, yet always riveting. The main actor is excellent, never wavering in his intensity. You feel as if you are actually in the truck driving through war-torn Serbia. The scenery is dark and sparse, which fits with the storyline. The viewer waits the whole movie to find out his cargo and it is revealed in a very subtle but powerful manner. Worth watching if only to feel the effects of war.