Barking at the Stars

Zdravko Šotra's 1998 Serbian film is a comedy set at a secondary school in a small provincial town. The daily frictions between teachers and pupils combine with Mihailo's efforts to win the heart of a girl his brother is also pursuing. Made in the hardest years of post-Yugoslav Serbia, the film chooses to keep away from politics. That choice explains both its commercial success and the criticism it drew: it was widely seen on release, and it was also said to be fleeing the reality of the moment. Šotra's television background shows in the episodic rhythm. The young cast is natural and the comic timing works. Who it's for: viewers who like Balkan comedy and school films. Who it's not for: anyone wanting to see the political context of the period, or troubled by dated attitudes toward the women characters.