We like to believe that the world is a better place these days. We like to believe that we're somehow doing our part to make the world a better place. 

But then, there are things that happen to remind us that nothing has really changed. Life is still difficult. The powerful still seek more power. The rich still seek more wealth. We're drawn to influential people whose values violate our own, however, they possess something we don't and we can't help but want it. Somehow, we wish to be identified with the winners and celebrate when we land on top no matter at what price or who lands up on bottom. 

Bruno Anković has tackled a difficult yet compelling story for his debut feature. Based off a 2019 novel by Damir Karakaš. Celebration is both about the past yet extremely relevant to contemporary times in its storytelling. Having its world premiere at Karlovy Vary, Celebration was filmed over 23 days set over three separate periods. Filmed in rural areas of the Like region, there's an immersive authenticity to the film that amplifies the storytelling along with Jelena Paljan's adaptation of the material. The film introduces us to Mijo (Bernard Tomić as an adult), a World War II veteran in hiding when we meet him. As he hides, he reflects upon his life and the central moments that have led him to this place. We meet his wife, Drenka (relative newcomer Klara Fiolić), whose presence here is welcome light. 

The episodes we experience along with Mijo don't so much create narrative cohesion as they help to explain Mijo himself. There's a teenage Mijo (newcomer Lars Štern) tasked with getting rid of the family dog upon official orders. There's a younger Mijo (Jan Doležal) observing his grandfather's departure from the family home as he heads off into the mountains to die and to unburden the family. There's Mijo, Drenka, and her brother Rude (Nedim Nezirovic) as they journey toward a local celebration of the independence of Croatia. 

There's more. 

For those who understand the history that serves as the foundation of Celebration, the story will be more meaningful. Croatia was, for example, created as nothing more than a puppet state of Hitler's Nazi regime. Its independence more like a dangling carrot than an actual state of being. It's as if their independence was simply enough for people to celebrate the illusion of independence served up as fact. It's an illusion that is present throughout Celebration. 

Anković has crafted a film emphasizing tone and atmosphere, though there's a sort of narrative documentarism at work that is quite engaging. The film's ensemble cast is excellent across the board, veterans alongside newcomers creating a strong sense of reality. Tomić's Mijo is both protagonist and antagonist, a compelling figure whose existence here often exists in the gray shadows of humanity. It's a complex performance that is pulled off quite nicely. Aleksandar Pavlović’s cinematography is atmospheric and foundational, Alen and Nenad Sinkauz’s original score sparse yet vital. Editor Tomislav Stojanović gives us a sense of urgency that is disciplined and also consistent with the short novel upon which the film is based.

I doubt that Celebration is going to be a film for everyone. It's a complex film more with layers that are slowly peeled away yet still open to interpretation of universal and personal meaning. There is undeniable meaning here, deep and intense and jarring and timely. For those with patience and an ability to surrender to cinema, Celebration is, indeed, a film to be experienced. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic