30 Second Bottom Line: A beautiful coastal town is shattered by the arrival of the military, pitting friend against neighbor as the fascist powers take over.
Story Line: The story is fairly vague, as this film focuses mainly on the visual aspects of a coastal town in Croatia. We see waves crashing, tight cobblestone alleyways, pouring rain, then glorious sunshine and flowers. We are barely introduced to a group of men, characters that are minimally developed for us. We see them having dinner in one's apartment when a local friend, now a magistrate orders them to discontinue their supper because it is now past curfew.
The presence of the military becomes more apparent and oppressive. Ultimately the magistrate kills Kaja for a minor infraction. We are seeing the spiritual destruction of a town.
Tell Me More About It: The lack of character and story development leaves the audience somewhat unengaged in this film. It is a visually appealing movie, but does not offer us a path to follow or any sort of riveting drama. It keeps us on the outside, not emotionally engaging us with the characters we never get to know.
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