‘Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master’ Explores the Journey of a Dying Poet-Ruler and His Paranoid Servant (Exclusive Rotterdam Fest Trailer)
Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master, director Ivan Salati?’s sophomore feature, will be world premiering in the Tiger Competition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), which runs Jan. 30-Feb. 9. THR can here present an exclusive trailer for the cinematic reflection on identity, displacement, and home.
Written and directed by Salati?, the movie stars Marko Poga?ar, Croatia’s most translated contemporary poet in his debut film role, Luka Petrone, Jakov Zovko, and Vanja Matic.
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The film is set in 19th-century Montenegro “where tribes led by a poet and a bishop named Morlak (Poga?ar) are locked in an age-old struggle against a common enemy,” according to a synopsis. “When Morlak falls gravely ill, he sets out in search of a cure, leaving behind his war-torn homeland. Along with his daughter and two loyal servants, Morlak settles in a remote house in southern Italy, hoping for healing and peace.”
Torn between duty and homesickness, his most devoted companion Djuko, portrayed by Petrone, is “consumed by a deep sense of nostalgia, paranoia, and fear,” says the plot description. “Grappling with the looming prospect of his master’s death far from home and an increasing feeling of jealousy when Morlak grows closer to a visiting scholar, Djuko’s mind begins to unravel, pushing him to the limits of his endurance and imagination.”
The trailer, which you can view at the bottom of this post, gives a glimpse of the poetic style of the film.
“My starting point was also an important historical figure in Montenegro, Petar II Petrovi?-Njego?, who was a poet, ruler, and bishop,” said Salati?. “Throughout the 20th century, he was embraced by Communists and then nationalists that both used him to fit their narratives. He became a mythical figure, surrounded by an air of mystique, and was considered one of the best writers in Yugoslavia.”
He added: “The film relies on factual elements, and it was important for me to start with something rooted in them before allowing myself the freedom to wonder and be imaginative – which, I suppose, is the essence of a filmmaker’s craft. It’s not about claiming historical accuracy, even though it features a real historical figure, but rather about approaching it with a sense of playfulness.”
Audiences won’t need to be familiar with historical details. “Even if the historical figure is unfamiliar, the emotions and dynamics between the characters – such as those between a master and servant, a father and daughter, or a disenchanted older man, who is archetypal in a way – are familiar,” he argued. “It was interesting to create this political entourage in the film, with clear, almost diagrammatic roles or positions in terms of culture, ideology, and history. At the same time, their dynamics closely resembled those of a typical dysfunctional family on a trip.”
Salati?, who studied at the School of Fine and Applied Arts in Belgrade and obtained his Master’s in Film Studies at HFBK in Hamburg, premiered his short film Backyards in the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival in 2015. His feature debut, You Have the Night, an allegorical story about the end of the working class in Europe, also premiered in Venice as part of the International Critics’ Week in 2018. That marked the first time that a film from Montenegro was selected for this program.
The filmmaker, who lives in Belgrade, co-founded Meander Film, a Montenegro-based production company that produced his second feature.
Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master was produced by Jelena Angelovski and Du?an Kasalica for Meander Film in co-production with Jasmina Sijer?i? (Bocalupo Films, France), Ines Vasiljevi? and Stefano Sardo (Nightswim, Italy), Tena Goji? (Dinaridi Film, Croatia), Dragana Jovovi?, Stefan Ivan?i? and Ognjen Glavoni? (Non-Aligned Films, Serbia), and Boris Raoni? (RTCG, Montenegro).
Watch the trailer for the movie below.
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