Wordiezett So much average

Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Reno Rangan A story that set in a small Croatian island. It is a comedy, but also a serious issue that the country is facing right now. So thanks to the filmmakers to foray this matter into a nice comical style movie. Yes, the presentation was unique, displayed everything in a sophisticated manner. It was based on a stage play and was in controversy for the portrayal of serious issue in such a shade and characters.The story commences with a young priest Don Fabijan who tell his tale to another priest. So the flashback begins where he was working in an island church. In that small town, the death rates are rising at an alarming rate, but birth rates are completely nil. Then he decides to make the balanced ratio with the help of a couple of other trustees. What follows is the confusions among people over the sudden changes in life order of the community.I got very interested when I heard about the movie for the first time. The title itself was tempting, after reading its synopsis I became desperate to see it. So kept my expectations as much possible low. In another angle I was hoping it not to be alike 'Nacho Libre' with a slightly altered character of Jack Black. Thank god it was a different than others of the similar kind.Recently I explored into some of the Croatian and its neighbouring region movies and I am happy for those including this fine comedy. I give you a green flag signal to go for it, but you should not expect anything extraordinary from this simple comedy.

Mastur Batsler You could get a few good laughs at few witty situations and that's it, other jokes are just too simplistic, just swears and contrasts with no buildup, e.g. priest is doing something you wouldn't expect him doing and so on, which for some reason works for Croatian audience, especially if the swears are in Croatian language. Although it starts fairly promising, of all the crazy funny possibilities that could have happened, nothing very complex or clever actually happens, character acts gets annoying as they continue to do ridiculous things which you would expect only in Aaron Seltzer movies. All characters are stereotypes, PTSD racist war veteran, mad woman, stupid cop and so on, to make cheesy short simplistic gigs all the more easier to put in the movie, most of them only funny to people that are familiar with the situation in the country.Movie with all its goofy characters, tries to send a serious critique to church, that just doesn't work in a silly comedy such as this one. Biggest mistake is that the movie, although it makes fun on the expense of everyone that a common man in Croatia talks bad about on daily basis (also a thing that is closely related to Croatian mentality) politicians, nationalists, priests, cops etc., revolves around church while trying to make it look as bad as it can. It mocks church in a way that is funny only to those who mock and dislike church (and there are many of those here, thus making such success in the theaters).If you like simple jokes on the expense of people you highly dislike, and you find profanity hilarious, than go for it, but if you expect anything more than that, or you do not enjoy making fun of people mostly in a mean and not clever way, this movie isn't for you.We just have to wait for another movie that will bring Croatian cinematography from the dead, this is just mindless fun for a common Joe, to relax and get his mind of everyday troubles. I can't say that I expected much from a movie made by taxpayers money (HRT, Croatian National Television, production).

maxima-milli It is not my intention to make spoilers, but I have to admit that this is probably the best movie from Croatia in years, maybe even better than Bresan's previous huge movies back from 20 years ago.He always had the subtlety which helped him mix satire, comedy and drama in a very particular way, through simplicity which eventually makes things complicated and often leading them to a true drama.The Priest's Children is highly recommendable, due to incredibly authentic acting, close to perfect directing and ... very recognizable Bresan's signature.He did touch many subjects in one move and movie, that's true, but that's nothing new when he's concerned. I don't expect the movie to hit greatly in his homeland, because people might not actually want to understand what I already mentioned, the subtlety in which he mixes the liberties any church / religion is taking, but also humans who take into their hands affairs which are ... or aren't meant to be.It is not offensive, but simple, warm, full of brisk simplicity of cutting edge humour, but at the same time, highly human, filled with everyday events and simple men's ideas of how to "help". No matter the issue.It should be watched as a movie with hundreds of messages, not as an insult to either the Church or any religion or nation.

dario_malic Croatian cinema isn't well known in Europe, mainly because of the war that took place here in the nineties and practically put a stop to any serious film productions. But it isn't just Europe that ignored Croatian films. Home audiences also got used to skipping them. It took a lot of time to change that and in the new millennium things started to slowly get better. It still awaits wider recognition but the productions get more numerous every year and the films get more and more diverse. Positive reviews and awards won at international festivals also encouraged people to go to the cinema and see a domestic production. Riding on that wave a new film by well known Croatian director Vinko Brešan called "Svećenikova djeca" ("The Priest's Children") came to the Croatian film theatres and made the biggest opening ever for a domestic film."Svećenikova djeca" tells the story of a young priest named Fabijan who came to work on a small Croatian island. It takes only a short time for him to notice how the population is rapidly decreasing, but after a seller from the only kiosk on the island confesses to him how he "kills people" by selling condoms to everyone, Fabijan gets a great idea. He teams up with the seller (later the pharmacist joins them too) and they start piercing condoms, thus bringing the possibility of pregnancy back in God's hands.As you can imagine, that makes for a lot of hilarious situations. The problem is not all of them are that hilarious. Brešan can't seem to break off his mould, revisiting the same or similar setting and characters in each of his films, small island with a close-knit community where everyone represents some stereotype. The audience here is largely used to laugh at stereotypes but for a little more demanding film fan it's just not enough. The other main problem with not just Brešan's but almost all of the Croatian films is acting. For some reason most of Croatian actors can't (or won't?) make their characters feel natural. Their performances feeling staged and unconvincing for a film. It's probably because of their theatrical backgrounds but that's an explanation, not an excuse. To be fair, there are a couple of good performances in the film, especially that of Nikša Butijer as Petar, the seller, with a mixed one by Krešimir Mikić in the main role. There are two things that particularly got my attention, one very bad and one very good. The bad one is music by Mate Matišić (also a screenwriter). It's unimaginative and repetitious with main theme playing over and over again. The good one is cinematography by Mirko Pivčević. The shots are simply fantastic, giving a greater sense of characters and plot and providing beautiful scenes at the same time.Considering all of the above, it could be hard to understand what drove all those people in the cinema, but it's in fact very simple. Croatia is a country still greatly divided between secular and religious, in fact just right now there is a big debate on Health Education with fierce rhetoric from both sides. Considering the main good guy is a priest (and the main bad guy too as it unveils in the end) and the film looks at both the good and the bad face of the Church, it's destined to attract people from both sides of the conflict. But what makes the film interesting for home audiences doesn't necessarily make it so for the rest, especially when you consider that what is a flat out comedy right until the very end, makes a shift so abrupt that it just doesn't make sense (even with all the implications and message it's supposed to deliver) and ends as a great tragedy. "Svećenikova djeca" isn't a bad film, but it becomes obvious that it won't be Brešan who will put Croatian cinema in the focus of the film world.