Retro Film Review: Mondo Bobo (1997)

The author of this review is often faced with a dilemma when appraising titles that come from countries with weak film industries - whether to make judgements solely based on the films' merits or to moderate them by taking specific economic and political circumstances into account. For me this issue was especially important in 1990s, when I had to think hard before reviewing those films made in Croatia. On one hand, most of those films were atrocious (and this is the view generally accepted not only by Croatian public, but also by overwhelming majority of critics); on the other hand, war, economic woes and semi-authoritarian regime could hardly be fertile atmosphere for great films. So, when few titles actually turned out to be a notch better or in some way different than depressingly low average, the critics had the urge to praise them more than they actually deserved. The author of this review admits that he succumbed to such urge in case of Mondo Bobo, 1997 drama written and directed by Goran Rušinović.

In 1997 Mondo Bobo entered Croatian film history by being first film in independent Croatia to be produced without government's assistance. Until that time, all titles were either produced or co-produced by Croatian state television or co-financed by government. This financial independence was mirrored by the use of black-and-white cinematography, non-professional actors and style usually associated with American independent cinema. The theme was originally taken from real life - case of Vinko Pintarić, notorious murderer who had evaded police for years only to go down in spectacular gunfight in at the very eve of 1991 war and thus become Croatia's biggest crime celebrity. Rušinović got very interested in story and had a bizarre idea of casting Davor Gobac, one of Croatia's biggest rock stars, in title role. But some compromises had to be made - the protagonist became fictional character and it was played by professional actor Sven Medvešek.

At the beginning, unnamed protagonist of Mondo Bobo owes lot of money to some nasty gangsters and has to kill one and wound another in self-defence. After that he listens to the advice of his attorney (played by Svebor Kranjc) and surrenders to police. He is put into psychiatric hospital and from there he escapes only to have his wife killed by police during the pursuit. From there his journey takes incredibly violent path, resulting in deaths of innocent people that happened to be around him at the wrong time.

Mondo Bobo could have been exciting thriller, serious crime drama or Tarantinoesque black comedy. Unfortunately, Rušinović sacrificed substance in favour of style, so to say that the film has problems in connecting with audience would be an understatement. The characters are simply too bizarre, and that includes a protagonist who is obviously a schizophrenic. The plot is burdened by non-linear narration, and black-and-white cinematography is just the most obvious homage to Jim Jarmusch. Mondo Bobo suffers from poor editing, especially in the final gunfight scene, which is overlong and looks more like a garage band vodep than part of feature film. However, Mondo Bobo is generally watchable film, mostly thanks to few incredibly funny scenes involving Svebor Kranjc and Davor Urban, another of Croatia's rock stars, enjoying himself in the role of gang boss who shoots people while dancing.

For the real assessment of Mondo Bobo, it would be best to compare it with Vinko Brešan's How the War Began on My Island, not independent and more conventional, but definitely better title. A year before Rušinović's film, Vinko Brešan showed that Croatian film industry can make comedies and bring domestic audience to the theatres. Rušinović's film proved that Croatian movie industry can have independent sector and produce art films. But it is the former that is remembered today as success, while the other is nothing more than an experiment.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 16th 2003)

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