SARAJEVO - Rooted in the still-raw horrors of recent history, Redemption Streetturns a provincial story of post-war guilt and revenge into a glossy action thriller with potentially global appeal. A punchy dramatization of ongoing war crimes investigations into the bitter ethnic conflicts which tore the former Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s, it has the slick production values and nail-biting tension of upscale suspense shows such as 24, The Killingor Homel and. Miroslav Terzis debut dramatic feature made its international debut at the Sarajevo Film Festival last week, where co-star Uliks Fehmuiwon the Best Actor prize.
The bilingual opening credits, in both English and Serbian, suggest the makers of Redemption Streeth ave international ambitions. The presence of local screen superstar Rade erbedija, a kind of Balkan Gene Hackman, may even help draw foreign viewers who know him from his recurring role in 24plus minor appearances in the Batman, Harry Potterand X-Menfranchises. Subtitled action thrillers are a tough sell, but this is a superior piece genre piece that deserves a broader audience beyond domestic markets.
Gordan Kii, who also has a story and producer credit, stars as Duan, a deputy prosecutor on Serbias war crimes commission in Belgrade. A rising star with a pregnant wife and ambitions to prove himself to his law-professor father, Duan pesters his boss (erbedija) into trusting him with a juicy case, tracking down fugitive ex-members of a notorious paramilitary death squad responsible for a trail of brutal massacres during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. But the case proves deeper and darker than he was expecting, shaking too many skeletons from the post-war closet, exposing himself and his family to violent men with powerful political connections.
Although Redemption Streetmarks Terzis dramatic debut, he has long experience working on commercials, which shows in the films slick and confident visual style. He shoots contemporary Belgrade in a stylishly color-drained palette, 50 shades of somber brown and frosty blue. The spectrum only warms up in recurring interludes of flickering super-8 home-movie footage, which initially suggest idyllic memories of a summery childhood, but cleverly turn out to be something more subtle and touching.
In cinematic terms, the Balkan wars have so far provided rich material for somber art-house dramas, most recently Angelina Jolies In the Land of Blood and Honeyand Aida Begis Djeca: Children of Sarajevo. But Kii and Terzi have smartly realized that these recent historical traumas also adapt well to the crime investigation format, with its buried secrets and murky allegiances. Particularly strong is an understated abduction scene, all the more chilling for being wordless and devoid of detail.
The script is not without its genre clichs: corruption in high places, the ill-tempered boss with divided loyalties, marital tensions that arise when a case becomes too personal, the rookie prosecutor who oversteps his powers and has to turn in his badge. But these are minor, forgivable niggles. Because Redemption Streetis a rattling good thriller grounded in real, raw, human tragedy.
Venue: Sarajevo film festival screening, July 12
Production company: Filmkombajn, Pakt Media
Cast: Gordan Kii, Uliks Fehmui, Rade erbedija, Jelena Doki, Petar Boovi, Predrag Ejdus
Director: Miroslav Terzi
Writers: Dorde Milosavlevi, Nikola Pejavoki
Producer: Gordan Kii
Cinematography: Miladin Colakovi
Editor: Desan Uroevi
Sales company: Fortissimo Films
Rating TBC, 97 minutes
(Release date: TBC)
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