Sky Hook

Ljubisa Samardzic's 2000 Serbian film takes place in Belgrade under NATO bombardment in 1999. Kaja is dealing with daily destruction and the threat of being drafted, while his wife Tijana wants to take their son and leave the country, and divorce proceedings have begun. The idea at the centre is a basketball court. Kaja and his friends decide to build one on the empty ground beside a ruined building. It is an activity that looks meaningless during a war and becomes the only meaningful work these characters have. The film does not show the bombing directly; sirens, power cuts and news bulletins stay in the background. It was among the first films in Serbia to depict that period and drew mixed reactions there. Who it's for: those who like Balkan cinema and accounts of everyday life during war. Who it's not for: viewers wanting the political background of the conflict explained; the film leaves that out entirely.