Review
by Moyra J. Bligh originally written for the "John
& Delenn Site"
One of the most tragic and heartbreakingly beautiful films I have ever
seen. The cinematography and photographic composition is brilliant and the
score is superbly done and never intrusive. This is one of my two absolutely
favorite Mira films and a film I'd recommend even if she were not in it,
although I would be hard pressed to think of anyone who could have done the
justice to this role that she has.
Mira plays "Jaglika" a culturally repressed innocent who with her equally
unworldly husband journey from their home in the stark and rocky Bosnian
mountains to the summer resorts on the sun drenched beaches of the Dalmatian
coast. In search of a better life, they are completely unprepared for what
awaits them there. Their mentor, a man from their village and a far more
experienced and disingenuous individual, secures her a job as maid in a
nudist colony, while her husband is introduced to some of the older
pleasures and perversions of life. Her softly dawning awareness of her own
sensuality and his lack of understanding and inability to cope with it opens
a Pandora's box. The ensuing tragic consequences ensure that their lives
will be changed forever.
Mira is utterly incredible in this role for which she won the zlatna
arena (Yugoslavia's equivalent of an Oscar) for best actress in 1986 at the
film festival in Pula. There's no doubt in my mind why she won it, it's one
of those moments where a consistently great performer attains a level that
is as close to perfection as it is possible to achieve. Heart and soul she
is "Jaglika", you can see it in her eyes through the entire film. As many
times as I have watched this film she still takes my breath away with this
performance. The look in her eyes at the close of this film will haunt me
for the rest of my life.
Do not let the fact that this film has no English subtitles deter you
from viewing it. Even with out them the message is clearly understandable
as long as you pay attention to the cultural references at the beginning of
the film. For a leading role of this magnitude, Mira has amazingly little
dialogue, but that is consistent with who "Jaglika" is. So much of what Mira
does with this role is created by the flawless and seemingly effortless body
language that I've come to so admire in her work and with her eyes, and in
this role they speak volumes.