Stephen Biro (director of the American Guinea Pig series) is no stranger to controversy when it comes to cinema. Here, he focuses on a film that caused more debate and outrage than any other in recent years.
When A Serbian Film was released in 2010, it quickly became a cause célèbre, being banned and cut all over the world. Biro’s documentary covers all the outrage (including the infamous pulled screening at FrightFest), but it also gives good insight into the making and meaning of the movie.
We get to see behind the scenes of creating the impressive (and disturbing) special makeup effects (including the trauma the actors had to deal with during body casting). More importantly, we hear from the director, producers, and actors to find out what they thought of working on the movie and the outcry that followed it.
Everyone involved is incredibly honest, detailing the problems the movie had getting made and even getting the film elements developed. The documentary might not make you want to sit through A Serbian Film again, but you might gain a deeper understanding.
A SERBIAN DOCUMENTARY screened at FrightFest on August 22nd.
