Balkan Spy (1984)

Best comedy in former Yugoslavia. It describes an epok of communist time when everybody in Yugoslavia was suspicious and some of them paranoid like major character in the movie Ilija Cvorovic.

Fmovies: This is a movie I sought out because of it's ridiculously high ranking on IMDb's comedy genre list. It was definitely a watchable movie, but I found it to be a bit too much of a jumble of political/social commentary, slapstick, absurdity, and violence. The last half hour was especially cringe-worthy, as the main character descends into despair, sadism and ultra-violence. Watching these latter scenes, I found myself thinking about how a Serbian audience in 1984 would have received them. Would they be cringing, too, or would they be laughing? Given the history of the region in the 90's, I'm afraid of the answer.

But, it's always nice to see a film from within the communist era that reflects upon the communist apparatus and how it affects daily life, especially in such a candid manner. This film must have really irked some of the people in charge! For searing political commentary that is rolling-on-the-floor hilarious, I highly recommend Milos Forman's The Firemen's Ball.

In the beginning, I was slightly bored, but in the second half, this movie becomes madhouse you'll never forget. As for the audio-visual experience, it is quite irrelevant whether you watch this movie in the theater or on a mobile phone, but the screenplay and dialogues made history. The acting and anthological monologues of ingenious Danilo Bata Stojkovic are magnificent and, although he has accomplished many good roles, most of us will always remember him for this one.

8,5/10

Balkan Spy fmovies. This movie depicts the actions of a man affected by paranoid personality disorder. From the "psychological" point, the movie is excellent! I wouldn't be surprised if Dusan Kovacevic consulted some psychiatrist while writing the screenplay for this movie. However, I must point out one thing - do not fall in to the "ideological" trap of this movie! This particular disorder has nothing to do with the ideology! I can give you an example - My father suffers from the same personality disorder - his actions are quite the same as Ilija Cvorovic's - and he's not a communist at all! The only difference is, he's not after "subtenant - imperialist spy" - he's after his "wife's lover"! But his behavior is quite the same as Cvorovic's! To conclude, this movie is excellent, be sure to watch it - but be aware that disorder depicted has nothing to do with the ideology! It affects all people equally, where ever they live, and whoever they might be!

One of the most popular ex. Yugoslavian movies in the Croatia. Exellent description of our past political system in a very funny way. Greeting to all admirers of this movie.

As one of the most significant films in the Serbian and Yugoslavian cinematography ever, "Balkanski spijun" is most often regarded as a comedy, which it is only to a certain extent.

The film works on many different levels and it's virtually impossible to judge it after seeing it only once. Serving primarily as a social commentary and a metaphor for a national paranoia towards anything foreign, the film uses its main character Ilija Cvorovic as a vehicle to carry out both humorous and serious situations towards a bitter and somewhat prophetic ending. The great Bata Stojkovic (in one of his best roles here) has masterfully crafted a portrait of a man whose delusions progressively lead him from a state of comical confusion to a tragic crescendo of violence laden with conspiracy theories.

"Balkanski spijun" is a comedy that will make you think before you laugh and a tragedy that will make you laugh before you think.