Directed by:
Vinko BrešanCinematography:
Mirko PivcevicComposer:
Mate MatišićCast:
Krešimir Mikić, Nikša Butijer, Marija Skaricic, Drazen Kuhn, Lazar Ristovski, Goran Bogdan, Marinko Prga, Tihana Lazović, Stjepan Peric, Petar Atanasoski (more)Plots(1)
Motivated by desire for demographic renewal, Don Fabijan, a young priest on a Dalmatian island starts secretly puncturing all the packaged condoms before they are sold. He is soon joined by the local god-fearing newsstand salesman and the mad pharmacist, and they practically abolish all contraception on the island. However, after initial success, numerous weddings and new births, things become complicated. Finally, the bishop arrives to the island and the situation goes out of control. (Adopt Films)
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Reviews (9)
It is obvious that this film from the Balkans arouses quite controversial and, in many cases, hesitant and significantly negative reactions. In my opinion, this stems from two facts. Firstly, for quite some time, The Priest's Children presents itself as a lighthearted summer comedy with somewhat provocative themes. However, in the second half, serious tones quietly start creeping in, which eventually leads to tragic moments. In short, you are dealing with a tragicomedy. Understandably, an appropriately tuned viewer will find it difficult to digest. Secondly, the film openly plays with human sexuality and tackles taboo topics using folk humor, which seems somewhat sacrilegious to appreciators of high art. For me, it deserves an honest 4 stars and my overall impression is 85%. It did not disappoint, but there's still something noticeably lacking that prevents it from achieving perfection.
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A folk comedy and exactly the type of film Zdeněk Troška will never make. This is a film that has a lot of humor flowing from the screen. I have never seen such imaginatively-processed running-jokes. Yet what surprises me most is that most films like this lose steam in the second third, only to moralize in the final third. Here they keep it going to the very end. A standing ovation for the filmmakers is well deserved.
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The specifically Balkan sense of humor is palpable in this successful comedy. I wasn't expecting much from the film, so I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I really had a great time with it, despite the tragic storyline at the end. I have to appreciate the plot, which worked wonderfully in conjunction with the church. I would also like to mention that the musical accompaniment was extremely good. (75%)
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The only reason The Priest's Children can wrap itself in above-average ratings on FilmBooster is that the Croatian language bears a striking resemblance to the Czech language, and thus only arouses deep frustration over how no one can manage to put together a summer comedy in this country, at least like this one. Otherwise, though, it’s not worth crap. Brešan is not a good director, a fact that is most apparent through the poor editing and the accompanying unsuccessful timing of the jokes. He's unable to highlight the various supporting characters at the right time, so he helps himself by having them all wear the same outfits over and over throughout the film, which is pretty ridiculous given that the film takes place over the course of more than a year. It's that temporal sprawl that also denies the picturesqueness and nostalgia of the intended time period, which is otherwise the biggest domain of summer comedies. The film eventually scores points in the moments when the filmmakers' brakes on taste and correctness go out, and yet in this respect the film exhausts itself almost entirely in its first half.
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Svećenikova djeca (The Priest's Children) is one of the best tragicomedies I've ever seen, if not the best. The comedy/farce made me cackle, only to have everything instantly turn into a drama with an unexpectedly human dimension. I don't know if any film has ever evoked such a mixed bag of emotions in me. Plus, as a militant atheist, I was pleased that the filmmakers weren't afraid to attack the Holy Church, which is in desperate need of criticism. A great character was the local pharmacist/nationalist, who would do anything for his Croatia. I liked the whole mixture very much and had a great time again today on my second viewing.
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Gallery (30)
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