It is always special to watch a film from a country you know little about. I have not seen many Serbian films, though I still remember how powerful Dara of Jasenovac was. If I am not mistaken, Sun Never Again might be only my second Serbian film.
It is Serbia’s Oscar pick, telling the story of a family living in the shadow of a mine. Explosions, pollution, and the threat of buyouts surround a small village, yet Vid, played by Dušan Jović, keeps believing that life can go on. He builds a simple greenhouse with his son, trying to create something alive in a dying place.
What could have been a dark and heavy film becomes poetic instead. The director fills it with gentle images: rain falling on bricks, a tree moving slowly in the wind and an innocent boy who still believes in magic.
The budget is clearly small, but the film looks professional and sincere.
I cannot say I felt a strong connection to it. It did not move me as much as I hoped, but one scene stayed in my mind — when the boy asks his father whether it is day or night. That small question felt like the heart of the film.