A Serbian Film (2010), The Most Disturbing Movie Ever Made

Many horror films take acts of intimacy and make them horrific; A Serbian Film (2010) does the same, but cranks up the violence and intensity to a nauseating degree, making it a frontrunner for the most disturbing movie ever made.

My Introduction to Horror Films

As a child, I was terrified of horror movies. That sounds like an extremely obvious and stupid statement to make, but I felt particularly affected by them. I recall staying up all night after watching The Fly (1958), mostly due to my fear of spiders (you’ll understand if you’ve seen the film). Watching it now, I would probably laugh; but at eight years old, I was not laughing. I had a similar reaction to the original Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1931). Thinking about a crazed Renfield laughter still sends chills down my spine.

Fast forward to my pre-teen years. I had convinced my parents, who were very strict about my film-viewing habits, to let me watch Psycho (1960). My mom felt particularly reticent, as she had seen the film at 12 years old and found it almost too scary to watch. However, I had developed a kind of obsession with horror films. They left me feeling paranoid and edgy, but I couldn’t seem to get enough of them. So, I watched Psycho with my parents and, for the better part of a month, couldn’t walk upstairs or take showers without feeling like someone was going to rush in and stab me.

My experience with Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal work officially turned me off to horror for a while. The film was too good; it was actually too scary. That was the problem. I couldn’t handle horror films because I felt scared for weeks, months, or even years after watching them. The sounds and images stuck with me. Thus, I swore off horror films for the next few years. However, around the same time, a strange trend was occurring in both American and foreign horror. 

The Advent of Torture Porn in Cinema

Though it arguably started in the late 1990s, 2004’s Saw officially brought “torture porn” into the mainstream. Like many teenage boys who grew up in the fledgling years of the Internet, I had a morbid curiosity for all things macabre. For better or worse, this introduced me to the more unseemly side of horror filmmaking. At one point, it became my life’s mission to find the most horrific, disturbing, nastiest film in existence. The Saw and Hostel series introduced me to a new extremity of horror, but I knew there was a whole seedy underbelly waiting to be discovered. 

In the following years, I watched several horror films that all competed for the title of the most disturbing movie ever made. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), Audition (1999), Ichi the Killer (2001), Irréversible (2002), and August Underground’s Mordum (2003) were certainly all in the running. However, it would take nearly a decade before the most disturbing horror film ever made would come into existence. Enter A Serbian Film (2010). 

A Serbian Film (2010), The Most Disturbing Movie Ever Made

Upon first viewing Srđan Spasojević’s A Serbian Film, I had a strange mix of emotions. First and foremost, I felt disgusted. There’s really no other way to feel after watching the film. It is intended to disgust, disturb, shock, and frighten viewers as much as possible. It does all of these things with expert precision. 

Once the disgust wore off, I felt nothing but pure confusion. Around the time that I saw the film, I had recently earned my film degree and begun working in the film industry. As a result, I was left with one burning question: how on Earth could this film ever get made? It had all the trappings of a high-quality, well-funded horror film. Both the filmmakers and the actors were top-notch; the cinematography was excellent and the story, while occasionally a little over-the-top, flowed well and made sense. 

So, who the hell funded it? Who read the script and thought it sounded like a good idea? Once you see the film, it’s truly mind-boggling to consider the hoops director Srđan Spasojević must have jumped through to get this film made. But if he did have to make any concessions to get funding, none of them occurred in the editing room. When it comes to decency and respect for what is acceptable to see in a movie, all bets are off with A Serbian Film.

A Serbian Film Plot Overview

The film follows Miloš, a retired porn star who lives with his wife, Marija, and young son, Petar. Miloš has no desire to return to his former work, but the family’s finances force him to reconsider. When a friend recommends an “art film” director looking for someone with Miloš’s skillset, Miloš reservedly agrees to meet. 

The filming begins at an abandoned orphanage, where Miloš is fed instructions from the director, Vukmir, through an earpiece. Miloš is obligated to perform sexual acts in the presence of a young girl. After they finish the scene, Miloš is determined to quit the job and move on. Nonetheless, he meets with Vukmir who proceeds to demonstrate his “artistic style.” Vukmir shows the horrified Miloš a video that Vukmir dubs “newborn porn” (I won’t go into any more details on that). 

Horrified, Miloš drives away, only to encounter Vukmir’s female doctor. She seduces and drugs Miloš. We next find Miloš in a bloody bed, with no memory of the events that transpired. He returns to the abandoned film set, where he finds various tapes that show what he has done. having been injected with a drug that made him sexually aggressive, Miloš acted out a series of horrific scenes at Vikmur’s instruction. However, Miloš soon realizes that the film is far from over and that the worst is yet to come.

My Analysis

For the sake of propriety, I will not go into any more details about the film. It is something that has to be seen to be believed. I don’t like giving out spoilers, nor do I enjoy writing things that are physically repulsive. That said, the worst thing about A Serbian Film is that it is not a bad film. On the contrary, it is well-made, well-acted, and engaging. It has the budget to support the story without needing to rely on cheap tricks or poor CGI. Additionally, it more than accomplishes what it clearly sets out to do: disgust its audience.

You might think that films like this only serve to titillate perverts, but in this case, I completely disagree. While sex plays a vital role in the film, there is nothing arousing about it. On the contrary, sex is the object of horror. It is the thing that makes you feel queasy. 

Nonetheless, reactionary critics have largely panned the film. Multiple countries banned it outright, while many derided the film as a celebration of violence against women in children. To me, the opposite is true. I did not enjoy A Serbian Film in the traditional way that one “enjoys” a movie. I recognized its good qualities and I watched in disgusted amazement, but I never once found myself in a state of enjoyment. Like most “torture porns,” A Serbian Film isn’t so much scary as it is disgusting. Every frame is repulsive. Thus, while it is certainly desensitizing, the film also works to make violence against women and children as terrifying and disgusting as possible.

Director Srđan Spasojević naturally defended his film, saying that it is a parody of the state of filmmaking in Serbia and even a denunciation of fascism and political correctness. I would need to study Serbian cinema and history to see if these arguments hold any weight. However, I would also need to rewatch the film, which I have no plans of doing in the near future.

Conclusion

In closing, I’d like to reiterate that Srđan Spasojević’s A Serbian Film (2010) may be the most disturbing film ever made, but this doesn’t make it a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. It is a well-made film that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. You may find yourself questioning the intentions of the filmmaker or the depravity of the human mind, but if you have a strong stomach, it’s still worth a watch. Moreover, if you’re a horror film buff that likes gorier fare, getting all the way through the film is a badge of honor. But I should warn you: there are some things you just can’t unsee.

A Serbian Film (2010) Movie Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

If you have the stomach to watch A Serbian Film (2010), it is currently available to purchase via Amazon. To read more film reviews like this one, be sure to check out the Philosophy in Film Homepage!