Anyone who has seen the infamous 2015 shocker A Serbian Film will likely have its contents seared into their brain for life.
Just as fascinating as anything which might have been depicted on screen is the furore behind the scenes, which saw the film abruptly pulled from FrightFest schedules in 2010, becoming one of the most banned movies ever made.
Fifteen years later, and filmmaker Stephen Biro (director of the American Guinea Pig films) revisits its legacy, delving into never-before-seen footage and interviews with the cast and crew.
Featuring insight from director Srdjan Spasojevic, co-writer Aleksandar Radivojevic, and star Srdjan Spasojevic, it gets deeper into the nitty-gritty than ever before, dissecting all of the film’s most infamous sequences. Yes, even that one. You’ve seen A Serbian Film; you’re watching A Serbian Documentary; nothing can prepare you for A Serbian Blooper Reel.
Those who missed the not-terribly-subtle subtext the first time around will have it spelled out for them as Spasojevic and Radivojevic elaborate on the cultural meaning behind A Serbian Film (“they fuck you when you’re born, they fuck you when you’re alive, they fuck you when you’re dead”) but the real focus is on pulling back the curtain (or silicone orifice, as it were) on the shoot itself.
It’s fascinating from a filmmaking perspective, but one can’t help the feeling that an opportunity was missed, especially in its failure to explore A Serbian Film’s motives, themes or its misogyny on anything below surface level.
An enlightening behind-the-scenes documentary, but one that ultimately doesn’t go quite hard enough.
A SERBIAN DOCUMENTARY premiered at UK FrightFest on August 22nd, 2025.
Once Upon a Time In... Harleywood 