A Serbian Film

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Danish Blockbusters carry XXX? That's rad.

[Jens Thomsen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jens Thomsen]

Yup. They are sort of hidden on a single shelve and behind some plastic cards that you have to lift to see what's behind. This is so the terrible images of naked people won't offend anyone. But at least they ARE available. If I remember correctly, Blockbuster was forced to do this when they entered the Danish market. They got too many complaints and lost too much business when they initially tried to remove the porn. :

Btw, I just interviewed the CEO of Blockbuster Denmark about that warning sticker they have attached to 'A Serbian Film'. A local newspaper reported last week that someone had rented it, ignored the sticker because he thought it was in regard to gore effects, and got so offended that he now wants to report the movie to the police and demands that Blockbuster stops renting it out.

The CEO told me they'd only gotten a couple of complaints in total and this was in no way special as they get complaints all the time for all kinds of movies (mainly in regards to the quality). He said they had answered all complaints that Blockbuster were not about to judge movies on a moralistic basis and would leave it up to the customers themselves to rent according to their own standards. He did admit that if they found themselves in a storm of protests they might consider pulling the movie, but he did not find that scenario plausible here.

I found him to be pretty cool and, as I told him, their warning sticker is probably the best solution. It's definitely not a film for everyone and I can understand why people might offended by it. On the other hand, seeing as it does not break any laws, it should absolutely be available to customers who want to check it out.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

He said they had answered all complaints that Blockbuster were not about to judge movies on a moralistic basis and would leave it up to the customers themselves to rent according to their own standards. He did admit that if they found themselves in a storm of protests they might consider pulling the movie, but he did not find that scenario plausible here.

That's interesting as it lies in direct contrast to the Blockbusters here that were at one point not carrying unrated films and requiring that certain harsher movies be edited for content in order to get placement on their shelves. Of course, now Blockbuster is bleeding money left, right and center in the US, and while I never want to see someone go out of business as it means people are going to lose their jobs, I can't say I'll miss Blockbuster as a corporation.

While they've loosened up in recent years (I think because finances have forced them too), well, do a search on Blockbuster.com for A Serbian Film and see what you get. They're not carrying it here.

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

I still have not watched this. Nor have I read any of this thread. Nor do I know anything about the film.

We should watch it tonight.

[Jimmy Simard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jimmy Simard]

It's definitely not a film for everyone and I can understand why people might offended by it.

Not me... People like to be offended about everything. A synopsis isn't written for nothing on a back cover and if a movie is in a special section without being a pornographic film usually this isn't for nothing. Nobody is force to rent a movie because a videoclub had it... it's not like if it was shown on TV at 9 in the morning (and even with that everybody can switch the channel).

As usual here my order is delayed...

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

It was messed up but I expected scar me for life material or something. It was an interesting watch.

[Jens Thomsen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jens Thomsen]

You are so hardcore, Allison.

I have no doubt that less experienced or adventurous viewers might feel seriously disturbed by 'A Serbian Film'. But the question is, could anything really scar people in here for life anymore? I have a hard time believing anything fictitious really would affect me that much today.

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

There was one film that really distubed me... I can't remember the title. It had the word "Girl" in it. "Girl Next Door?" Ian would know.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

There was one film that really distubed me... I can't remember the title. It had the word "Girl" in it. "Girl Next Door?" Ian would know.

Yup. The Jack Ketchum adaptation.

[Jens Thomsen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jens Thomsen]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. I think you might actually be right about that one. I have been avoiding it because I am a bit squeamish about realistic depictions of rape. That's why I actually find films like Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave and Irréversible harder to watch than I did A Serbian Film (though that one was no walk in the park either ).

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

I can deal with rape flicks. I don't know what it was about Girl Next Door. It seriously bothered me though.

[Jimmy Simard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jimmy Simard]

It's the film about Sylvia Lickens right? Never seen the film, but just read about the case at the crime library was depressing enough. I'm unable to watch movie about real maltreated children...

[Robin Bougie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Robin Bougie]

I have both the movies based on the Lickens case -- THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, and AN AMERICAN CRIME. They're both quite good, and very disturbing despite not being all that graphic compared to something, say, like A SERBIAN FILM. The movies get in your head like a mold. Just the concept of the story is about as diabolical and fucked as you can conjure up, and it just drives home the horror of it when you know it's based on something that actually happened to some poor girl. In fact, what really happened to her was even worse than what they put in the adaptations.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/n.../likens/1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Likens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Baniszewski

[Alison Jane Girl Boss Jane Find all posts View Profile Close Alison Jane]

It's the film about Sylvia Lickens right? Never seen the film, but just read about the case at the crime library was depressing enough. I'm unable to watch movie about real maltreated children...

Another bothersome one, but definitely not at the level of Girl Next Door, was Mockingbird Don't Sing.

PS... you have a crime library? Are you Batman or something?

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Ketchum's book is more disturbing than the film, in my opinion. Either way, they did a very good job of adapting it. The fact that it is as unsettling as it is means they did their work well.