Man Is Not a Bird (Covek nije tica)
Directed by Dusan Makavejev
Written by Dusan Makavejev and Rasa Popo1
1965/Yugoslavia
Avala Film
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] America had Russia wrapped around it little pinky through the whole ’90s. We did everything you told us. And we were eager to do more and more. The whole nation – Russian nation was like, ‘Tell us what else we can do to please you. We want to be like you. We love you.’ And then in 1999, bam. You bomb Yugoslavia. And that was the end of it. — Margarita Simonyan [/box]
Charming romcom from behind the Iron Curtain.
Ditzy teenager Rajka works as a hairdresser. She meets much older technician Jan Rudinski and decides she must have him. He is on a temporary work assignment in her town and her first move is to get him lodged with her parents in a flat where she also lives.
She is finally successful with her seduction but things don’t work out as planned. Concurrently, Jan is being rewarded for his Hero of the People-level work but Rajka is not particularly impressed.
This has plenty of wry humor, interesting visuals, and some not-so-veiled political commentary. The mid-60’s seem like prime time for coming of age stories in Eastern Europe. Worth seeing if this kind of thing appeals.
Clip – no subtitles
