An episode in life of an iron picker (Danis Tanovic, 2013): Slovenia

reviewed by Alan Gueler, Viewed at the AFI Fest

An episode in life of an iron picker

I have never ever in my life left a movie theater and still not be sure if what I just saw was a fiction or a non-fiction. That was the case with this movie. all material is in one take, filmed on a handheld cam and there seems to be nobody directing the actors so I assume that most of it is direct cinema.
I was not happy at al after seeing this movie, I was mad because I thought I really wasted my time watching this movie. Everything shot on a handheld, bad directed, bad narrative, bad editing, bad cinematography, no added sound what so ever. All the movie was about was to see how bad a family has it in Slovenia. From start to End bad things happen and not a single glance of happiness and all the characters are sad during the whole movie. I learned nothing by seeing this movie and I was constantly pointing out things they should have changed or done better.

The story is about a family of four and a fifth one coming that are struggling to survive in the poor country Slovenia. The mother is pregnant with a dead baby and need surgery and the man has to get money somehow to be able to afford the surgery. Everything is shot i daylight so that they didn’t have to use lightning equipment. The cinematography in general was very bad, no other equipment than a handheld camera was used, and you feel that the film is unscripted.

Almost everythin in this movie was bad, I could only find one thing that I didn’t think was the worst I have ever seen and that was the set design. The house where they  live is a very sad environment and that statement reflects this movie, sadness.

Sitting in the movie theater seeing this movie made me feel like I was in a hospital waiting room, you know the kind of feeling of just want to go away from a situation. That was the feelings I got from this movie, I just wanted it to be over as early as possible. I do not recommend this movie to anyone.