The shelves of a video rental store will always play with the nostalgia strings of any film lover who used to peruse the aisles of their favorite video store. Row after row of movies which would make the selection seem like an impossible task. If you chose the wrong one, then you were stuck with a dud until next weekend. Some renters may choose based on recommendations. Others will go solely on the cover art of the VHS (like myself). Or some (like the main character of this movie) will just grab something at random. Playing at Popcorn Frights, VIDEOTEKA (also written as Videotheque), is a Serbian anthology film from director Luka Bursać that gives us four stories that on the surface seem to follow very different people, topics, and even genres. When breaking down the stories to the root of their simplest summary, they all revolve around someone taking something that is not theirs. This could entail a simple theft of currency or of someone else’s life.
Video Store
The connecting narrative of the anthology begins with a simple but very tense scene in which an old woman is walking her dog. Unfortunately, she crosses paths with a thug. The cruel uncaring man picks up the poor fluffy puppy and refuses to give him back. The growing fear of the pet owner quickly puts the audience on edge. Soon a robbery that ends in a shootout and a chase scene interrupts this fearful exchange. Our heartless thug does not get away, but his partner in crime manages to evade the police by hiding out in an old video rental shop. The employees and customers appear long gone, but the wares of the store still line the shelves. This provides the runaway criminal with an impressive supply of VHS tapes. So, to quell his boredom while he hides out, he treats himself to a few films. This is when our anthology begins. In between each new story, we briefly return to the criminal hiding out in the video store. Although this story takes place in an interesting setting, this narrative does not add much to its continuing plot in between the shorts.
Balanar
The first film “Balanar” follows a lone man (Bogdan Farcas) in a snowy forested landscape. He travels by horse through an endless wilderness and he does not speak Serbian. Based off his body being covered from head to toe in fur pelts, we get the impression his story takes place either pre or post-modern civilization. The cold unforgiving climate leaves the man very few resources. Soon his horse dies, his fire dies, and his hope begins to die. Only praying to the King of the Gods can provide him any warmth. Because if being cold and isolated in the Serbian wilderness wasn’t bad enough, there is also something ancient and evil lurking about. This short does well with its world building but it does not over-explain why the world is like this. In fact, nothing is explained and we are simply dropped into the middle of the story. Thus creating a lot of interesting surprises.
Dubai
The second film, “Dubai,” starts in a sexy kind of way. The main character is named Aleksander who seems to be living his best life as he focuses on fulfilling his basic desires. His strut implies he feels on top of the world. He works in a small falafel shop, but he still has the love of a beautiful woman and gets to screw around and imbibe whatever, whenever he wants. He constantly seems to be giving the world the middle finger as he smirks and laughs his way through life. But while he might feel on top of the world, he soon becomes haunted by the appearance of a Beemer. It reminds him there could be more to life than grins and girls. The Beemer (and its owner) take an interest in Aleksander, and convince the young man they both have something the other wants. The story soon follows the old adage “The grass is not always greener on the other side” and Aleksander must learn this the hard way. This is probably my favorite story in the anthology as the director kept it simple and the story is almost reminiscent of an old Twilight Zone episode.
The Prophecy of the Kupres
The final story, “The Prophecy of the Kupres,” centers around a mysterious man whose presence baffles and unsettles the police. He committed a very severe and heinous crime, but he has no ID and refuses to speak. They don’t know his origin, his motive, or even his name. This film starts with an interesting and suspenseful premise, but this story is significantly longer than the other ones (or at least feels that way) and it moves a lot slower. “Prophecy” tries to create a much more intricate plot compared to the other two shorts in the collection. It also includes a fairly large community of characters, which furthers the unnecessarily complicated narrative.
I wish VIDEOTEKA had done more with the video store premise because the interior of a rental shop holds so many emotions and memories for so many people. Shortening and simplifying the final story and letting us explore the video store could have helped this film more. Each story holds its own charm, but the order of the stories might have benefited from a simple rearrangement. Altogether the anthology format starts strong but does not keep audiences engaged throughout the entire film.
