"Natasa" is another movie set in the '90s Belgrade that offers really no improvement over prior Serbian movies dealing with similar subjects("Ubistvo s predumisljajem", "Do koske", etc..).
Although it's nice to see Anica Dobra in Serbian movies again with her progression from a young sexpot she played in the late '80s and early '90s to a more mature, almost motherly, woman this time around, this movie is just too sketchy and unfocused to get a recommendation from me.
Nikola Djuricko, Davor Janjic and Boris Milivojevic all turned in good performances (Milivojevic with a scene-stealing portrayal of a Bosnian transvestite named Dzeni). Even young Natasa (I forgot the young actress' name) had her moments, but ultimately the script is simply subpar.
In a simplistic movie like this that basically depends on its central character, it is essential that the audience has a strong rooting interest in that person. However, this script can't decide if Natasa is an ordinary, good-natured, simple girl trying to survive in extraordinary circumstances or a manipulative, scheming, spoiled little brat. In different scenes she is called upon to be one or the other, or even both, depending on what's needed to forcefully move the plot along and get the movie to the required running time.
SPOILER! Finally, a sappy, romance novel ending is slapped together, and all that I'm left with is a realization I just threw away 2 hours of my life.
