Written by: Milica Bokšan
Serbian cinematography is diverse, and many films have become classics. Therefore, it is not surprising that many Serbian movies that are decades old are still often watched today.
This time, we have selected 6 Serbian movies on different topics, so you will surely find something that suits your taste.
Browse this list, grab some popcorn, and enjoy!
#1 Serbian Movies: Maratonci trče počasni krug
Year of release: 1982
Director: Slobodan Šijan
This Serbian film is translated into English as The Marathon Family. It dates back to 1982, which means that more than 40 years have passed since its creation.
Even today, this film is very popular among Serbs, and it was filmed based on a play written by the famous Serbian writer Dušan Kovačević.
The cast consists of many famous Serbian actors such as Bogdan Diklić, Bata Stojković, Mija Aleksić, and Pavle Vujisić.
We must not forget to mention the great Serbian actress Jelisaveta Seka Sablić, of course.
The film follows the Topalović family, which deals with funeral services. The catch is that they run their business in an illegal way.
The Topalović family has six generations, where the youngest descendant is 24 years old, and the oldest is 150 years old.
When the oldest living member of the Topalović family dies, a dispute arises between the descendants regarding the inheritance.
One of the most famous Serbian movie quotes comes from this humorous drama: ,,Ko je vas poznavao ni pakao mu neće teško pasti” (= For those who knew you, even Hell will not be hard).
However, this story is not so simple to fit in a few sentences, so we recommend you to watch this iconic Serbian film.
This is one of those movies where you will get to know Serbian humor and satire, also.
#2 Serbian Movies: Tito i ja
Year of release: 1992
Director: Goran Marković
Tito i ja (Tito and Me) is a Yugoslav film in which the main character is a ten-year-old boy, Zoran. He wrote an essay about the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, and won a literary competition.
In his winning piece, he said that he loves President Tito more than Mom and Dad.
As a reward, he was allowed to join a tour of Tito’s hometown.
The boy’s parents react with despair to his assignment, and Zoran is really surprised by their reaction.
The whole journey is a challenge for Zoran. Moreover, during the tour, he changes his opinion about his idol.
Many lessons can be learned from this great movie, but we leave it up to you to find out.
And it should be noted that this is another Serbian comedy, so laughter is guaranteed!
#3 Serbian Movies: Ubistvo s predumišljajem
Year of release: 1995
Director: Gorčin Stojanović
Ubistvo s predumišljajem (Premeditated Murder) is a novel by Serbian writer Slobodan Selenić, based on which Gorčin Stojanović made a movie.
The movie’s main characters are Jelena Panić, played by the now Hollywood-famous actress Branka Katić and the soldier Bogdan, played by the extremely talented Serbian actor Nebojša Glogovac.
The film follows two love stories. One story is about Jelena and Bogdan and takes place in 1990, and the other story takes place 50 years earlier and is related to Jelena’s grandmother.
Jelena is trying to compile a book from her grandmother’s diary.
Apart from the fact that the main female characters of these stories are related, what they also have in common is that both of their love stories take place during a war.
Jelena’s love story takes place during the Serbo-Croatian war in the 1990s, while Jelena’s grandmother’s love story takes place during the Second World War.
This drama shows the political situation and the tragedy of the people during the war years.
The movie theme itself and the great acting in this movie leave a huge impression on anyone who watches it.
#4 Serbian Movies: Lajanje na zvezde
Year of release: 1998
Director: Zdravko Šotra
Lajanje na zvezde (Barking at the Stars) is one of the most beautiful Serbian films.
High school graduates from the province go on an excursion to Montenegro. Of course, all kinds of funny events begin immediately, so viewers have the opportunity to enjoy their mischief.
Throughout the film, we also follow a couple in love. The main character, Mihajlo Knežević aka the Philosopher (starring Dragan Mićanović), is in love with the beautiful girl Danica (starring Nataša Tapušković) and constantly tries to win her over.
From this film comes the famous sentence: ,,Kako Tanjug javlja, ja te volim!” (= As Tanjug reports, I love you!). We can only guess how many times this quote has been used as a declaration of great love outside of the movie.
Barking at the Stars was filmed based on the novel by Serbian writer Milovan Vitezović. If you’re a lover of literature, read this book, you will not regret it.
At the end of the description of this film, we have to add another famous line from one of the professors: ,,Oni su sada najopasniji. Laju i na zvezde!” (= They are now the most dangerous. They even bark at the stars!).
By the way, did you know it is the only Serbian movie without a single swear word?
#5 Serbian Movies: Kad porastem biću Kengur
Year of release: 2004
Director: Radivoje Andrić
The movie Kad porastem biću Kengur (When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Kangaroo) takes place in the Belgrade municipality of Voždovac.
The main characters are people in their thirties who still haven’t found the true meaning of their lives. However, one of them, Kengur (played by Nikola Djuričko), managed to become a player of Eastwich football club.
In a local cafe, his childhood friends and a few other locals are watching a game between Manchester and Eastwich.
Kengur’s friends are proud of him and cheer with all their might. He metaphorically represents a way out of hopelessness as someone who has managed to do something with his life.
Parallel to this, another story is happening. A poor student Braca (starring Sergej Trifunović) tries to win over the beautiful model Iris (starring Maria Karan).
Director Radivoje Andrić perfectly described this film in a single sentence: ‘As strange as it sounds, this is a cheerful and entertaining film about hopelessness.’
It’s important to mention that the music for the film was composed by the famous Serbian composer Vasil Hadžimanov.
When I Grow Up, I Will Be a Kangaroo is one of the iconic Serbian films that you will want to watch more than once.
#6 Serbian Movies: Montevideo, Bog te video!
Year of release: 2010
Director: Dragan Bjelogrlić
Dragan Bjelogrlić is one of the most famous Serbian actors, but for this film, he had the role of director. Montevideo, Bog te video can be translated as Montevideo, God Bless You!
He assembled a great cast of Serbian actors, consisting of Nikola Đuričko, Vojin Ćetković, Mima Karadžić, Branimir Brstina, and many others.
Montevideo was also a launch pad for young actors who got the roles of players, as well as for other characters. They all became very famous.
Just some of them are Nina Janković, Petar Strugar, Andrija Kuzmanović, and the extremely popular Miloš Biković.
The film is about the soccer team of Yugoslavia and their trip to the Championship in Uruguay.
Its plot takes place in 1930, before the historic success of the Yugoslav national team.
Also, the film is based on a true event from the football history of Serbia.
The main characters Moša (starring Miloš Biković) and Tirke (starring Petar Strugar), as well as all the other football players mentioned in the film, represent real people who made up the national team of Yugoslavia.
It is also interesting that, in the film, you can see what the streets of Belgrade looked like 100 years ago and how people dressed and behaved.
Excellent music, tense moments, and connection with a true event make this film a masterpiece of Serbian cinematography!
Conclusion
Some of the great ways to learn any language, including Serbian, are watching movies and reading books.
When you watch these Serbian movies for the first time, we suggest you watch them with subtitles.
As your knowledge of Serbian improves, turn off the subtitles, and focus on the words and their pronunciation.
And if you want to learn Serbian fast, great tutors are waiting for you as soon as you start with online Serbian lessons!