TITO AND ME
A film review by Max Hoffmann
Copyright 1993 Max Hoffmann
Rating: 8 on scale of 1->10 Country of Origin: Yugoslavia/France In Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles Running Length: 105 minutes DIR/SCR: Goran Markovic PROD: Markovic, Zoran Masirevic, Michel Mavros, Zoran Tasic CAM: Racoslav ED: Snezana Ivanovic CAST: Dmitrie Vojnov, Lazar Ristovski, Anica Dobra, Pedrog Manojlovic Rating: none. Appropriate for family viewing for kids old enough for subtitles.
IN A NUTSHELL: quirky, endearing comedy about a young boy in 1954's Tito-ruled Yugoslavia. Unable to cope with his extended dysfunctional family and cramped quarters, he spends more and more time in a fantasy world where Tito is the benign father figure. This causes humorous fiction in his dissident family (a little like 60's activists having a child turn Republican.) The break-down of a party-line teacher's control over a summer camp hike resembles the crumbling of Yugoslavia itself. The lead child actor occasionally gets on your nerves, as does the repetitious soundtrack, but worth seeing. Probably better at a theatre than on video.
The film is a clever combination of filmed action spliced with high camp Tito newsreels, melded to a zany mambo soundtrack. Young Zoran is overweight, and an outcast with most of his family and school mates. He retreats further and further from reality, seeing Tito as a romantic idol. He stuns his school by winning the essay contest that will have him go on a "young pioneer" camp/march and meet the Dictator himself. The film follows the giddy path that eventually confronts young Zoran with his idol, clay feet and all.
A smug, dyed in the wool Commie teacher takes out his own sense of powerlessness on the hapless youth. Many viewers will share my observation that this Commie teacher is remarkably like the "my country right or wrong" Republicans that many baby boomers had as teachers in grammar and high school. (Back in the 60's I had a high school English teacher who gave us our "party-approved" reading assignment, "The Bloody Red Hands of Ho Chi Minh" ... from Reader's Digest! ... Welcome to California.) Apparently it's a universal phenomenon for failures in the job market, with thwarted ambitions to end up the keepers of our children's minds. This teacher resembles a scruffy Tom Selleck, with all the charm of a J. Edgar Hoover.
Amusing sidelights are cast by Zoran's "artist" parents (a musician dad who ends up playing sax in seedy night clubs, and his jealous/possessive ballerina mother who grates the holier than though live-in sister-in-law.)
A great film to brighten up the next rainy Sunday afternoon. Check it out. The ending may be a bit syrupy (shades of KARATE KID) but the film is full of heart and good belly laughs.
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