Fifth festival day screened „Graduation“ directed by Cristian Mungiu is by many the most probable candidate for the Golden Barge award. Mungiu received the award for Best director this year in Cannes – deservingly
Story of a medical doctor from Romanian city of Cluj whose daughter is an excellent pupil and need only good final paper to win a scholarship for studies in London. A few days befor the graduation she is attacked in broad daylight and almost raped, so her father worries about her ability o perform at the final exam. He seeks to help her and ask for favours to her advantage which almost unconsciously leads to the network of coruption present in the whole Romanian society.
Film is presented in Vukovar by Romania actress Lia Bugnar that has a role as wife to medical doctor and is depressed for the events around her daughter and the fact that her husband has a mistress who pushes him to divorce her. Lia Bugnar told us she does not know how to behave in this situation as she has no children of her own. Film presents the situation in Romania, she confirmed that many Romanian media accused Mungiu for casting such a grim light on his country, but he replied that he shows the truth and the truth cannot be hidden. This briliant film is one of the highlights of this year Vukovar film festival.
„Candidate“ by Robert Zuber and Tomislav Pulić and „First time“ by Mirjana Hrga proved on Friday afternoon that television journalists and hosts also make films. Before the films as an introduction, Zuber, Pulić and other festival guests and jury members visited „Iločki podrumi“ for wine tasting and the castle Principovac where all had the opportunity to try golf, most of them for the first time. Nobody wanted to miss this, so all from Areta Ćurković to Anja Šovagović and foreign guests tried it. They were facinated by the history of „Iločki podrumi“, story on the events in Yougoslavia, during the Civil war for independace, and time after the war. Some of filmakers concluded this is an excellent topic for a documentary, while the other thought this to be a great feature story.
All who favour US independant production, could see the premiere film „Captain Fantastic“ with Viggo Mortensen in the main role. Film was screened in Cannes in Un Certain Regard, that won Matt Ross the award for the best director, while in Karlovy Vary it won the audience reward. It is a unusual story – Viggo Mortensen plays single father with six childred with whome he lives in the mountains and home school, and they hunt their food. When they find out that their mother has died, they leave for the funeral, which is their first contact with civilization, fast food, mobile phone, televisions and all the modern wonders. Film clearly criticizes the modern society. And yes, Viggo Mortensen is completely naked in one scene.