THE STORY – A pregnant woman gets a call from a god who orders her to commit a series of murders.
THE CAST – Jelena Djokić, Sergej Trifunović & Milutin Karadžić
THE TEAM – Aleksandar Radivojević (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 118 Minutes
Whether or not you’ve actually seen 2010’s “A Serbian Film,” chances are likely that you’re somewhat aware of its reputation. It’s part of the wave of films released in the aught’s and 2010s which could best be described as “depraved.” These films, such as “The Human Centipede,” “Baise-Moi,” “Audition,” “Antichrist,” “mother!,” and more, revel in their vile extremity. As is the case with any subgenre, there can obviously be a wide gap in the actual quality of said films. Some filmmakers, such as Gaspar Noé or Lars von Trier, have the ability to utilize the obscenities their films depict in order to grapple with whatever themes or ideas they’re exploring at the moment. In other instances, the shocking or gruesome content of a film can be relied upon solely as a gimmick. It’s happened throughout the history of the medium. Exploitation films have always had a place in cinema, and this wave of modern extreme filmmaking is no different. It could even be argued there’s an essential quality to some of them. For many, extreme cinema can serve as a gateway to international cinema for budding cinephiles. I can recall the first von Trier film I saw (2018’s “The House That Jack Built“), and how my brain felt rewired upon exiting the theater. I simply didn’t know you could make films that left you feeling such visceral and shocking disgust. Surely, if a film has the power to elicit real feelings such as nausea or dizziness, then there must be an actual power (or even worth) to them. It’s that prompt which caused me to seek out more, ultimately leading to a lifetime of discovering international cinema of all types from around the world. With all that being said, I’m unsure if any of that defending or justification is worth the effort when thinking about Aleksandar Radivojević’s directorial debut “Karmadonna.”
Being a co-writer of “A Serbian Film,” one might consider the prospects Radivojević’s debut film could offer. Initially, I figured “Karmadonna” would perhaps showcase a talent or methodology beyond the hyperactive depravity he’s associated with. It’s only fair that we provide a film the opportunity to surprise us in some way. But right around the tail end of its first act, this film quickly begins to lose steam in a way that counteracts giving it any benefit of doubt. What’s most upsetting is that the premise of this film is a compelling one for genre fans. “Karmadonna” opens on Yelena (Jelena Djokić) sitting in a park. She’s watching an outrageous anti-smoking commercial which helped her quit smoking, which is a positive considering she’s one month away from giving birth. The commercial is shot with such gusto, and it’s a style that will run through the rest of the film. At the very least, Radivojević does seem to have a dynamic sense of direction, often opting for a maximalist approach when staging a shot. The thought of whether or not it’s a hindrance to the film doesn’t seem to have been a consideration. This is most apparent in the edit of some action-packed sequences, where the direction and editing disorients beyond comprehension. His finding a middle-ground would likely have been a benefit to the film, but it’s tough to deny wanting more first-time directors to really swing for the fences with styles they want to experiment with in their careers. Though there must be a balance to everything, and that balance sets off the “plot” of “Karmadonna.”
As Yelena sits on a bench, she embraces the natural beauty around her. But among the lush trees lies an evil force that will dominate the entirety of this film. The camera races directly toward Yelena “Evil Dead”-style as she receives a phone call from an unknown voice claiming to be a higher power. The voice refers to themselves as the “creator of content” who “fucked it up bad” along the way. If we can find ourselves so moved by the beauty found in the world, who’s to say the evil and ugliness that exist alongside it can’t affect us in the same way? Through Yelena’s mystery caller, who tasks her with taking out their laundry list of enemies street-vengeance style, Radivojević creates a literal voice to attack all the disgusting characters and behavioral traits existing in the world with little reservations.
Yelena and her caller’s targets are part of groups we justifiably loathe. That’s not the main issue present in “Karmadonna.” Radivojević spews his venomous wrath at Andrew Tate-esque influencers, the exploitative nature of reality TV executives, corrupt public servants, piggish providers of services we rely on for daily benefits, and so much more. As is the case with everything in “Karmadonna,” there’s not a shred of nuance to these characters by design. All of them wear their evil and their depravity on their sleeves. It’s clear Radivojević sees them as emboldened, and who can blame him? In a modern society where social media and cultural impact strengthen these figureheads, it seems we’re caught in a viciously looping cycle. But the issue “Karmadonna” runs into very quickly, and never fully recovers from, is in this ultimate point to begin with.
So much of its runtime is devoted to the same incessant anger thrown at the state of everything in our culture. Yet it all feels more akin to a man shouting at the clouds than any sort of incisive observation or commentary. A few of Radivojević’s tirades through his mystery caller make valid points, but there’s nothing particularly clever about any of them. Their points of view are ones that could be seen whilst browsing Reddit or Twitter. That “Karmadonna” becomes such a torturous cinematic experience is more a symptom of its drawn-out runtime and shoddy horror effects than its thematic content. Never one to balk at a film’s runtime, “Karmadonna” has proven to be one of the exceptions to this rule. There’s simply no reason it should be 118 minutes. It’s just incredibly difficult to justify a film that leaves the viewer thinking, “Ok, and?” upon arriving at its thesis. “Karmadonna” feels like an exercise in excess that becomes tiring very early on, and never improves beyond that point. As such, the anger felt in the very fiber of this film begins to grate on the viewer long before the credits arrive. It’s mean-spirited – albeit justified at times – without the nuance in presentation to really earn the title of a clever or subversive exploitation film. But it does inexplicably have a “Titanic“-themed nightclub featuring marble statues of James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet as a location, so that provides a momentary respite from having your eyes glaze over until its two hours have inched by.
