Topli Film (Serbian Documentary) [Warm Film]

Warm Film (Topli Film) takes its title from an old-fashioned phrase ‘warm brother’ that used to be used widely to signify a gay man. It brings a selection of scenes and storylines in Serbian cinema that either have homosexual overtones or deal with queer stories. The idea behind this retrospective is to show that queerness always existed in Serbian cinema and therefore in society. The film goes on to question why reactions to queer stories are more extreme today than they were in the past. (Don't be fooled by the suggestive poster)

You’d be surprised to learn that the first same-sex kiss in cinema history took place in 1911, in a Serbian film'The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe', where two soldiers kiss twice on the mouth. This was a traditional greeting at the time. The director of this documentary launches a casting for a “fake film” – one he’s never going to make. Instead, he will include scenes with actors in his documentary on queer elements in Yugoslav and Serbian cinema. Two young, straight guys are selected. They lead us through talks with experts and legends of Serbian cinema, such as queer icons and an actor-director who played, for that era, ambiguous roles in 1960s classics. A film historian notes that we can read between lines in some of those films because of our perspective today, even though maybe that was not the filmmakers intentions. In 60s or 70s,  'faggots' were featured as a form of protest against the establishment, rather than real characters. Later, in the 1980s, gay or trans protagonists were played for laughs in numerous popular comedies, which can’t be considered as emancipation – but they were played by big stars whose popularity only increased as a result. Only in 90s or 2000s , is when some sort of breakthrough came in; with the film 'The Parade' becoming an extremely popular film in the region (also reviewed on my blog here). In between the segments in which the two actors listen to experts, they prepare for their “gay roles”. A scene in the sauna where they awkwardly – and adorably – try to get physical is one of the film’s highlights (also featured on the poster cover of this documentary), along with a clumsy dance they try to copy from an older film.

I am not sure what I really think of this documentary. Was it just a documentary or was the maker trying to make a film including a documentary? It feels the makers are too anxious to fit everything to show Yugoslav and Serbian queer representation, which is fine. But it's like showing scenes from the old classics which may really not be any representation of LGBTQI scene. Those days were different in my opinion. People did not used to judge male friendships of hugging the same way as they do today. For example is most eastern countries, even now, men hold hands and there is nothing sexual about it. I feel like this is more relevant to people from this part of the world. I tried hard to stay focused but after first 30 minutes, I found it really hard to connect, mostly because I had no context of the films that were being talked about or the actors. Funded by the National Film Serbia body, it is a good entry into the queer cinematic canon of a country that is still making slow moves toward acceptance amongst the racist, homophobic cries. Interesting thought and idea and I would be very curious to see of someone did something like this for films made in India, but given the Yugoslavia and Serbian landscape of films, this one was not for me. (4/10)