Slovenian Film Retrospective: Farewell until the next War

Živojin Pavlović, Slovenia (Yugoslavia), 1980, DCP (shot on 35mm), 1.66, colour, 117', English subtitles

Two former mortal enemies meet during their holiday in the touristically vivacious Spain. One is Berk, who was a Slovenian partisan, and the other Bitter, who was a German soldier. Their conversations evoke their memories of the cruel and absurd time of war and intertwine with the live images of remembered people and events, a time full of courage and bereft of fear. The lead role of an untypical partisan character is excellently played by the renowned filmmaker Metod Pevec, who began his multi-talented film career as an actor. In addition to the multilayered story and message, the film, which is an adaptation of Vitomil Zupan’s novel Minuet for Guitar, is also characterised by a production of epic proportions and an innovative lyrical direction.