Snow White Dies at the End

Kristijan Risteski hails from Macedonia, and his quirky film Snow White Dies at the End is a comedic drama that plays with a non-linear narrative. It explores the "abnormal normality" that has taken over Skopje, a city once full of life, now feeling like a soulless machine due to western influences, where (quote) "Skopje's poo*ters are taking drugs"!

The screenplay is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it tries to be clever with quirky elements like a fly narrating the story, a talking toilet, and a pig named Enzo. On the flip side, it shines when it embraces the local dialect and the unique logic of Skopje's residents, which is truly one-of-a-kind! I'm not too familiar with Risteski as a director, but it's clear he's a local who wasn't daunted by the ambitious screenplay that aimed for a "cool" vibe. He made the most of what he had. The plot kicks off with various groups meeting one night, then rewinds to the day before, before circling back to that same night and wrapping up three days later. As the story unfolds, the characters become more developed with each time jump revealing surprising details.

In the end, it's a fun comedy with solid performances and enjoyable local dialogue that families can appreciate-except for one scene featuring some female nudity, but hey, they were cute enough to be used as a teaching moment!

Did you read the synopsis and were immediately put off? So was my husband who wouldn't watch this with me because he figured it would be a Farelly Bros fart fest. But it's not! I feel like someone out that synopsis there as a joke and forgot to remove it. Flatulence is only mentioned once that I saw - someone creating scent-muffling underwear in a scene that is fun but certainly not pivotal to the plot.

I am baffled honestly that this is the synopsis for the film. It's grossly inaccurate and this is not a "gross out" humor film at all.

What we have instead is a nice Macedonian character drama/comedy blend where you try to figure out how the characters connect. And narrated by a fly!

Saw at 2022 Slamdance.