Love and other crimes

Berlinale results are out. Almost none of the movies I saw got a price (besides Lemon Tree - will talk about it in a later post when the trailer will come out). Which is good as that means I got to see movies that I never would get a chance to see them again. For some of them... Thanks God I never gonna have that chance to see movie like: Coupable dir. by Laetitia Masson which was just dumm or La Fabrique des sentimens dir. Jean-Marc Moutout which just didn't have really what to say.

But Love and other crimes was such a different story. Was the last movie I saw while I was in Berlin and made the whole trip and stress for the festival truly worth.
Staged in a winter gray suburb of Belgrad, the movie follows Anica (peerless Anica Dobra), the girlfriend of a local mafia boss Milutin, on her lat day before leaving the country. Her secret plan of stealing the money from her boyfriend as start a new life is foreseen by Milutin assistant, Stanislav. After hiding his love for years, he decides that day to show his love to Anica and to find a solution of being together with her. Sounds cheesy right?!? But with the mastery of bitter sweet drama, black humor and a sense for cleverly designed details it far from being cheesy.

Director Stefan Arsenijevic, brings in front a detailed depicted universe of strong family bonds, absurd gangs conflicts and apathic relationships. Background stories as the broken communication between Milutin and his traumatized daughter, the gentle care of Stanislav for his senile mother, the subtle ways of Anica of saying her goodbyes to the people in her life makes the movie a touching experience.

There is no point to deny that I identified strongly with some of the situations depicted and made me think again of the whole farewell process. And not about just the farewells to the people we deeply care for but also to the people that we still need to have certain closure with. As to only way to truly leave.

Love and other crimes could be redone, rewritten, staged in a different land with different characters as we will relive it in our own way when we depart, leave, run from what it has to have been to what will have to be. For those who leave as for those who stay.