A stylish and charming feature debut from Slovenian writer-director Kukla, aka Katarina Bogdanovic, Fantasy is a coming-of-age drama spiced with magical realism and scathing feminist critique.
Set against the social conservatism of the Balkans, the story may feel provincial and predictable to international viewers. But Kukla’s scolding deconstruction of oppressive patriarchal norms, alongside timely queer and transgender themes, should help generate more universal traction beyond Southeast Europe. Grounded in solid performances by a mostly non-professional cast, this 21st century urban fairy tale makes up in big-hearted sweetness what it lacks in character depth or narrative subtlety. Fresh from its well-received Locarno world premiere, it screens in Sarajevo this week as an official competition contender.
Set in contemporary Slovenia, Fantasy expands on Kukla’s prize-wining short Sisters (2021), reuniting the director with most of the same cast. The three young heroines are in their early twenties, but all still confined to cramped apartments with overly controlling families, their narrow horizons defined by the vast concrete tenement complex they call home. While sensitive Mihrije (Sarah Al Saleh) is desperate to dodge parental plans for her upcoming arranged marriage, two-fisted tomboy Sina (Mina Milovanovic) is trapped in a destructive secret affair with her kick-boxing coach, and Jana (Mia Skrbinac) dreams of escaping this zero-option sexist backwater for the wider bohemian shores of Western Europe.
All three women are caught in a never-ending Groundhog Day of low expectations until a fateful encounter with an elegant, sexually liberated transgender woman called Fantasy (Alina Juhart) seems to open up dazzling new possibilities, a daring role model for their own rebellious reinvention. “This world wasn’t made for us,” Jasna complains to Fantasy. “It wasn’t made for me either,” she replies, “but I know who I am and what I want and deserve.” Mihrije in particular becomes infatuated with Fantasy, even joining her on a fraught pilgrimage to her native Macedonia, where a sombre family funeral evolves in a bizarre drag show.
From its on-the-nose title to its overheated emotional tone, Fantasy is heavy-handed in places. Some of its plot swerves, inspirational epiphanies and narrative tensions feel a little too engineered for maximum soapy melodrama. That said, the project was clearly a labour of love for Kukla, who funded some of the modest production budget herself. The story also has an autobiographical dimension for the director, who was raised in Slovenia by Macedonian parents. The protagonists are all misfits, outsiders and second-generation immigrants from different corners of the Balkans, as reflected in the rich mix of Slovenian, Serbian, Albanian, Bosnian and Macedonian dialogue. This polyglot blend adds extra punch to the film’s celebration of fluid identity and melting-pot diversity, from gender to ethnicity to sexuality.
Drawing on her background in music videos, Kukla and her cinematographer husband Lazar Bogdanovic load Fantasy with striking visual motifs and dreamlike flourishes: mysterious lights in the sky, fleeting shots of burning shacks, super-sized moons, mystical golden birds and more. The film-makers also make great use of architectural locations, from the main concrete apartment complex (which is actually in the Italian city of Trieste, close to Slovenia, but a good match for the brutalist style that defined Socialist-era Yugoslavia) to the iconic “Makedonium” monument in North Macedonia, a gloriously surreal spomenik memorial to a bloody 1903 uprising against Ottoman occupation. A burbling, off-beat, wistful electronic score by Relja Cupic reinforces the sense of a classy overall aesthetic package.
Director, screenwriter: Kukla
Cast: Sarah Al Saleh, Alina Juhart, Mina Milovanovic, Mia Skrbinac
Cinematography: Lazar Bogdanovic
Editing: Lukas Miheljak
Sound design: Julij Zornik
Music: Relja Cupic
Production design: Maja Savc
Producers: Lija Pogacnik, Barbara Daljavec, Vlado Bulajic
Production companies: December (Slovenia), Krugfilm (Macedonia)
World sales: Totem Films
Venue: Sarajevo Film Festival (competition)
In Slovenian, Albanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian
98 minutes
