Within the horror genre, there is one film whose notoriety extends into legend. Even if you have not seen the film, you damn well know about A Serbian Film. Banned in 46 countries, the 2010 feature is considered one of the most censored movies in history, and it is the basis for director Stephen Biro’s work, A Serbian Documentary. As opening text and voiceover lays the historical groundwork for Serbia, referring to it as a war-torn nation led by a government that crushes human rights. This serves as the inspiration for the ensuing film, with director Srđan Spasojević and co-writer Aleksandar Radivojević claiming that their intention was to reflect the feeling of being fucked from birth to death.
Between the extensive interviews with the film’s cast and crew, and behind-the-scenes footage, the curtain is pulled back on what came together to create such an infamous work about exploitation. There are humorous stories nestled within, whether it is lead actor Srđan Todorović claiming that one scene left in the film went from “softcore to hardcore,” or how Sergej Trifunović’s desire to work with the film’s lead led him to sign onto the film before reading the script.
The talking heads involve many readings about the film, showing how deeply the interviewees thought about the film and its characters. While it is interesting to see, that interest fades when the film’s negative responses are dismissed as “people not understanding it,” or pinning the blame on “political correctness.” This leads into one of the more recurrent points, as this documentary ultimately feels one-sided.
It is nice to hear those who made the film share how wonderful a time they had, especially as they look out for each other amidst creating a work with such dark subject matter. Yet, it feels too much like a love-in with little interest in exploring the more polarising responses. Excerpts of reviews may appear on-screen, both positive and negative, but there is a sense of the documentary not scratching far enough beneath the surface. Perhaps this could have been avoided if some critical viewpoints were included, but the result leaves this feeling more like a special feature of a physical media release.
Biro does not let audiences leave without exploring the most controversial moment, complete with a behind-the-scenes look at how the scene involving a new-born was brought alive. It all adds up to a film which may have been pulled from FrightFest and led to troubles with the law, yet it also won awards at different festivals and even had a high-profile fan in the form of William Friedkin. Time will only tell if this film will get reappraised, but for now, A Serbian Documentary is a solid dive into a controversial horror film.
A SERBIAN DOCUMENTARY HAD ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT FRIGHTFEST 2025
