Poetic Film Review: Handcuffs (Lisice, 1970)
In Tito's shadow, where paranoia reigns
A cinematic wave crashed, with subversive refrains
The Black Wave rose, a movement bold and free
Challenging orthodoxy, with allegories to see
Krsto Papić's Handcuffs, a masterpiece of the time
A period drama that transcended regional rhyme
Set in Dalmatia's hinterland, where karst landscapes gleam
A story of fear and hypocrisy, in Yugoslavia's scheme
Ante's wedding day, a celebration turned awry
UDBA agents arrived, with menace in their eye
The villagers' forced merriment, a facade to conceal
Their true selves, cowering beneath the Party's heel
Andrija, the loyalist, with power his heart's desire
A petty psychopath, wielding control like a burning fire
The villagers conform, redirecting their frustrations' might
Onto the vulnerable few, in the dark of night
Papić's narrative weaves suspense and dread with ease
Exposing Yugoslavia's contradictions, like an autopsy to please
The myth of socialist egalitarianism laid bare and cold
As Handcuffs dismantles the facade, young and old
With Mirko Kovač's incendiary script as guide and spark
Handcuffs ignites a critique that would leave its mark on history to embark
On post-Yugoslav critiques of secular authoritarian might
Foreshadowing futures yet unknown in endless night
Technically stark black-and-white frames amplify grim despair
Karst landscapes mirror desolation without repair or care
No soundtrack soothes; folk songs echo through empty air
As Papić commits to authenticity beyond compare or lair
Non-professional actors bring Vrlika village life to screen
Ethnographic study woven deep into cultural fabric serene yet unseen
Dark humor glints amidst gloom as subtle rebellion takes stage
Moments of autonomy shine bright like fleeting mirage or oasis age
Handcuffs endures not just as Black Wave classic but prophecy told
Foreseeing Yugoslavia unraveling threads so bold yet untold or foretold.
(Note: The review in its original form can be read here.)
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