The Wounds

It's a shame there is no U.S. distribution yet. I got a chance to see this film at the SF film fest and it was brilliant. It definitely has some elements of Scarface along with a coming of age story of a boy in a war torn country. This film Rules!

How easy is it for desperate youngsters to become dangerous gangsters in a decaying society washed all over by the blood of war? Fairly easy indeed. Rane shows incidents, probably somewhat facts, that took place in Serbia of the war era. Things similar to what you see on this film could happen virtually everywhere, but this film gives a very Yugoslavian feeling to everything. Yugo style mafia, Yugo style murder, and all that. Revolting politicians and their greed are to blame, not only the desperate young men who lose their reasoning while trying to be someone. The film and the casting is overall successful, and it's so very Serbian. I recommend it to anyone who.. well anyone who likes a good film. But don't expect anything American style on this one, as I say it's Yugo to the bone. 9/10.

It's the disturbing reality of 2 working class youths in Belgrade: a life of crime. What makes this movie brilliant is that it does not romanticise our young criminals. Around the world, desperate youths turn to crime for survival and status elevation. We have it in South Africa. City of God tried to show it as it is in Brazil, but Rane has managed to capture the heart of it all. Humour and sincerity are at the heart of this film's success. It's powerful.

And the television show in the movie, where they interview criminals as heroes is not fantasy. This TV show was broadcast in reality. It's a weird world, but it is our world. Each moment of this film, you wonder if you should close your eyes, you anticipate something bad. Yet, I was totally inspired afterwards.

Dark, bleak, hopeless, harsh, uncompromising, periodically injected with black humor, but overall quite powerful - Srdjan Dragojevic's follow-up to "Pretty Village, Pretty Flame," weaves a tragic coming of age story in Yugoslav capital Belgrade during the turbulent 90's with all the sharp cultural, social, political references and critique one could ask for. This film actually fits more along the lines of "Cabaret Balkan," except that "Rane" has this gangster twist to it. Among the supporting actors I noticed a lot of familiar faces such as Miki Manojlovic, Dragan Bjelogrlic, Branca Katic, Nikola Kojo, who you may be familiar with from films like "Underground," "Black Cat, White Cat," above mentioned "Pretty Village, Pretty Flame" and "Cabaret Balkan" and such. Definitely recommended if you are interested in Serbia/Yugoslavia or Serbian film making.

Actually it makes me feel sick, because it is so true.Man it really was like that.So now it's too painful to watch it.The life in Serbia isn't brilliant now, but I'm glad to see that the age from the movie is gone, and gone!Just to say that advertising of Rane was forbidden by "Milosevic TV"(RTS), and what an irony they had invested in the film. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see how much of the crap hole life can be!