Variola Vera

"Variola Vera" is probably one of the best drama performances in Serbian cinematography. The reason for that lies in the trueness of the background story. A smallpox epidemic did hit Yugoslavia in 1972., thus being the last appearance of this deadly disease on European soil.

Although "Variola Vera" is an adaptation with fictional characters, the atmosphere throughout the entire movie is as real as it gets. It does make you feel the fear of an invisible enemy, a deadly disease in a quarantined environment, with no knowing what tomorrow brings. That's what makes a good drama. I was scared the first time I've seen it, and I still do.

Brilliant acting by the best Serbian and Yugoslavian cast, realistic environment, a storyline with a clean development and the solid directing work by Goran Markovic make "Variola Vera" a timeless classic and a must see for everyone who likes real time horror.

What could be better, and that's a fact with 90% Yugoslav movies from the era, is the photography, lab work and sound. Still, even with such flaws "Variola Vera" will make a deep impression. Enjoy.

Now this is the real horror!

The story,camera,acting are classics and sometimes really poor, but the atmosphere in the movie is priceless and unforgettable. Even the score is fantastic,It's rear but it's there. Rade Serbedzija is great and only one who seams to have fun. And the begging of the movie is just simply excellent. Variola Vera is an absolutely merciless horror drama, a movie so real and scary that,it keeps you nervous and jumpy rather than pleasurably excited, and it's a classic.

The one and only authentic Serbian horror movie!

I love it !

This film will scare you. It's an unpretentious, yet very well made horror that builds a genuinely creepy mood and introduces us to likeable characters we really care about. I have seen it several times and I have found it enjoyable every single one of those times. The interesting thing is that the film is based on real events, but that is also a potential problem, because the filmmakers cared more about putting together an effective screenplay than remaining true to actual events. This is no docudrama, but a film that takes great liberties. However, they are justified, because the screenplay they ended up with was pretty much flawless. You won't forget this film.

A masterpiece of Serbian cinematography for several reasons: 1. The plot is inspired by a real life event that happened in Belgrade, the outbreak of the Variola Vera pox virus that was brought to Yugoslavia by a person who has traveled to the Middle East. 2. The claustrophobic environment of the quarantined hospital gives you chills down the spine. 3. A struggle of humanity in the darkest times 4. Doing research before making the film. Goran Markovic, the director of the movie, had a team of doctors who contributed in making the movie so it would look realistic, and not a fictional horror movie. Outstanding acting and cinematography.

Masterpiece! One of my favourite films ever!

The film is packed with omnious, horrifying scenes and it is based on true events at the same time. It has many merciless scenes but they are realistic. Furthermore, the cast is great as well and they authentically represent different states of human psyche and patterns of behaviour during hard times while being locked in hospital. Some of them behave like cowards and some fight bravely with disease and help everyone in need even though it can cost them their own life. In my opinion this film isn't nearly as popular as it should be, especially that we all faced global pandemic not a long time ago.