Varuh meje (2002), shown here as "Guardian of the Frontier" is an unsettling film. Three young female college students take what is supposed to be a relaxing canoe trip down a scenic river in Slovenia.This is not a nature movie, so we know things will go wrong, and things definitely go very wrong.
Ultimately, the students find themselves in a small, rural village, which appears eminently safe. At that point, the film reminded me of Southern Comfort (1981). In Southern Comfort, urban soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard are lost in a swamp, attacked by local inhabitants, and then enter a village of "good Cajuns" who may or may not be what they seem.
The tension in both films derives from the reaction of people who, while extremely competent in their own environment, find themselves in an environment where new skills are needed if they are to survive.
"Guardian of the Frontier" provides some lovely footage of Slovenian scenery, and some unexpected themes–-the artificiality
of the separation between two tiny countries--Slovenia and
Croatia--xenophobia, and rural/urban prejudices.
This is certainly not a must-see movie. On the other hand, how often do we get a chance to see any Slovenian movie in Upstate New York? "Guardian of the Frontier" is worth seeing near
home or on VHS or DVD. It's not a film for which it's worth a special trip to Slovenia to view without subtitles.
