[Film] Cowboys (Kauboji)

European Union Film festival in Singapore came back in May 2017. Before introducing this year’s films, here are a few film reviews from 2016.

14 May 2016

“Cowboys (Kauboji)”---European Union Film Festival

Release Year: 2013

Country: Croatia

Director: Tomislav Mrsic

Cast: Sasa Anocic, Zivko Anocic

Location I watched: Golden Village Suntec

Story from the programme booklet:

The film Cowboys is a comedy based on a Croatian hit theatre play. It is the story of eight outsiders who are trying to create a theatre play while breaking every rule of theatre craft. Genre-wise Cowboys is between social drama and comedy with an emphasis on clear stories and functionally profiled characters.

Although adapted from a theatre play, “Cowboys” does not seem to have been a play because the story does not go forward only by dialogues. It was an enjoyable film, so I felt sorry for less audience.

In a dull industrial town, seven guys and one lady try to create a theatre play to get back something meaningful in their lives. The plot is similar to the film “Full Monty”. However, unlike other films where losers team up and try to achieve something, “Cowboys” is more pleasant because it does not emphasize the emotional side to make audience weep. It always tries to keep the humour. Even in a potentially weepy scene when the characters, the amateur actors visit their dying theatre director at the hospital, there is a funny gag in the background with a patient in the same room almost getting accidentally killed by one of the actors. There is a likable spirit to the film.

“In 15 years later, theatre art culture will bloom in this town. That is fine. Now I never request you to make a masterpiece. And nobody hopes to become a professional actor.” The theatre prompter told the theatre director. As the result, what has completed is…an unexpected “physical theatre”! To put it nicely, the show by the eccentric amateur actors is avant-garde. To put it badly, the show is like a school play. Considering that all actors are novice, the result has reality. Their western play reminds me of the play by Athens citizens within Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. This amateur play’s scene looks ridiculous totally, but for some reason, the moment when Thisbe kills herself feels quite touching. Like such a direction style, “Cowboys”’ amateur western was also moving and gave their audience satisfaction at the end, for some reason.

However, in the last scene of the film, the director passed away without seeing his success. Even the scene of his death does not try to make the audience cry. It was just indicated. --- In our life, we just try to do the best what we can do, whatever the result might come. While unleashing silly gags, it seemed that the film has such a cool detached view of life. I like that point. (16 May 2016)