Directed by Krsto Papic
Review by Rada Djurica
Infection was screened at the Pula Film Festival.
It's a big surprise for Croatian cinematography to make a horror film. Today, Croatian cinematography is primarily insisting on serious dramas or conceptual art films. Films like Infection are not likely to be financed by the Croatian government.
On the surface, in the Central-European transition country Croatia, democracy and freedom appears to be firmly established. Only individuals are chosen to see behind the well-hidden murder and criminal manipulation of the media and population. The city police, of course, are powerless when they discovery some deaths by strange circumstances. The "they are among us" conspiracy theory turns out to be real.
In the center of these events is a writer, Ivan Gayski, whose artist friend died under mysterious circumstances. One day, he also gets the fantastic proposition to write a song for a mysterious man (Ivo Gregurevic), who visits him one night. The man offers him large amount of money in return. Suspicious, Gayski rejects the generous offer, implicating himself in the strange net of mysterious deaths.
By the end of the film, Gayski finds out that the truth lies centuries ago, in the deep dark European past. With the help of the mysterious Sara (Lucija Sherberdzija), who falls passionately in love with him, Gayski discovers abook, by an unknown German author from an earlier century. The book is about people who turn into "rets," people who are visible only if their king, "the rescuer," is alive. No one knows, however, who the rescuer is, even if everyone serves only him. Many of the mysterious murders are committed by the very same ret people, becoming a crucial part of the controlled television production.
This is a film that talks about evil in regimes like fascism or bolshevism. It talks about a political system that works for one person only, whether this person is called "a saviour," "son of God" or simply "president."
Infection, in fact, is an improvisation, which turned out to be a pretty successful one, for those fond of cinematography. For those looking for mystery and light entertainment, this is a perfect Sunday afternoon film. It demands nothing but to sit in a comfy chair, with the coffee kettle on and big bowl of crisps and peanuts.
Infection entertains just enough to evoke some serious questions. It evokes political questions about regimes. In Hollywood, these kinds of films are very important because they make money. However, films made in Croatian instead of English, need attention. Every middle-class society needs a film like Infection on Sunday afternoons, because these films serve a purpose, without being pretentious. Serious dramas (common in today's Croatian cinematography), and kitschy melodramas (very common on Croatian and Serbian television) are a sure sign of the disintegration of society. Light entertainment, mainstream films such as Infection are a very good sign of an unstable country stabilizing.
Some say that political systems such as fascism and bolshevism diminished global Europe’s progress. The consequences are still present today, in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, because there are still young people who are choosing fascism (Tudjman) or bolshevism (Miloshevic). Symbolically, maybe Yugoslavia suffered a kind of infection, making young people passionately choose either regime.