Safe Place (15*) + ScreenTalk
A family's life is turned upside down as one brother fights for the life of another in this heart-wrenching Croatian debut.
Set over 24 hours, Safe Place looks at mental health and family in Croatia. Bruno, played by director Juraj Lerotić, breaks into his brother Damir (Goran Marković)’s apartment in a rush to save his life after a suicide attempt. The subtlety and alarming quiet of this first opening scene sets the tone, which unfolds as a psychological family drama and a road trip film at once. It’s a film where the firm grip of trauma and depression is as terrifying as the indifference of state institutions.
Principally, Safe Place is an autobiographical confession, which becomes clear in a stand-out dialogue scene that borders with magic realism. Subtlety and heartbreak define this award-winning directorial debut, awarded Best First Feature and Best Emerging Director prizes at Locarno, and for which Goran Marković took the Best Actor award.
Wed 25 Oct 2023
18:15
Barbican Cinema 2
“A shattering Croatian debut”
“Raw, authentic emotion, and inventive lyricism.”
