Tutoring (2019)

Ivan Goranin Vitez’s satire is officially an Oscar contender

Amanda Kim2 said:Ivan Goranin Vitez’s satire is officially an Oscar contender

And once again, zero nominations

ATTENTION
SPOILERS

Just finished watching the movie. I have to say, it actually surprised me in a good way. There were a few mind-bending scenes that I didn't quite catch at first (honestly, my brain rarely processes any film 100% on the first pass).
The premise itself is built on an absurdity that doesn't feel stupid because, frankly, the kind of nonsense we deal with in real life is just as absurd. The main thing for me was the tension and uncertainty that hangs over the whole story. For a second there, I was actually worried it might end in tragedy—that seems to be the go-to move in most Hollywood movies, and in my opinion, it usually ruins a potentially great film. Luckily, that wasn't the case here.

People who are nitpicking too much about this one clearly don't get the nuances of the thriller genre. As far as that goes, I think it's pretty well executed. You don't need a hero jumping around like Rambo in every single thriller; those are more action movie tropes. We aren't looking at traditional heroes here, but rather anti-heroes. As the story unfolds, you realize the least corrupt ones are actually the "good guys" (again, they aren't perfect, but they’re definitely a lesser evil compared to the people who endangered innocent lives, especially children this time).

And I really have to address that silly comment about this being a "dangerous film for people with weak nerves." I mean, come on, even a basic TV commercial could trigger someone unstable (imagine if Coca-Cola was blackmailing, tracking, or hunting you down. It sounds crazy, sure, but the human brain is capable of all sorts of absurdities). Should we ban the production of kitchen knives just because some psychopath might use one to hurt a spouse or child? If so, maybe we should just use school protractors to slice up food, like how they cut the cake in the movie. 😁

Abid is clearly the guy sent in to do the dirty work, and the janitor obviously knows exactly what he’s up to when he tells him, "Abid, watch the kids."

I have a question for goldenhound32. In Matula's headquarters, toward the end of the movie, why does his assistant or whatever he is, lose his mind and charge at Matula?🤔

There aren’t 593 questions about Vitez's movies because he’s just throwing out random facts or plot twists to keep everyone talking. He builds in these layers and sudden shifts specifically so people will sit around and debate them afterward. 🙂 It’s like, one person notices a tiny detail, then someone else jumps in asking about something totally different, and suddenly you’re all caught in this endless loop of "wait, what just happened?"... (classic Lynch vibes there). Honestly, I don't think anyone besides the director himself actually understands every single reference tucked away in his films, so don't feel bad if you felt lost!

I really want to be helpful here, and I’d love to give you an answer, but it’s been way too long since I saw that movie and my memory is totally shot on 😬

Joshua Smith5 said:I have a question for goldenhound32. In Matula's headquarters, toward the end of the movie, why does his assistant or whatever he is, lose his mind and charge at Matula?🤔

Just being thorough. It feels like another metaphor tossed into a movie about a political figure losing their mind. I haven't seen it in ages, so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure that's what the story is getting at. 🍿

Amanda Robinson4 said:There aren’t 593 questions about Vitez's movies because he’s just throwing out random facts or plot twists to keep everyone talking. He builds in these layers and sudden shifts specifically so people will sit around and debate them afterward. 🙂 It’s like, one person notices a tiny detail, then someone else jumps in asking about something totally different, and suddenly you’re all caught in this endless loop of "wait, what just happened?"... (classic Lynch vibes there). Honestly, I don't think anyone besides the director himself actually understands every single reference tucked away in his films, so don't feel bad if you felt lost!

I really want to be helpful here, and I’d love to give you an answer, but it’s been way too long since I saw that movie and my memory is totally shot on 😬

I get it. I know. I just had to ask. Maybe I lost the thread. My phone addiction has gotten worse lately, so I was probably staring at a small screen when something important happened on screen.

Personally, I found this much more enjoyable than Black Forest. While the dialogue felt somewhat mediocre, the direction wasn't half bad. My main gripe is the lack of character depth; the writing was so thin that even the father's motivations failed to land, no matter how hard he tried to sell them to me. Then there's the whole issue of where

Spoiler

that group of mercenary fighters[ /SPOILER] even came from... It's obvious they had a higher production budget and a better eye for cinematography, but certain scenes just fall flat and feel completely out of place for this kind of movie. It honestly feels like the director started out aiming for a gritty, serious thriller before suddenly pivoting toward some sort of trashy comedy halfway through...

Finally got around to watching it.

While I’d give this film a six out of ten—much like I did with Black Forest—I have to admit the supplemental lectures were actually more engaging.

There are flashes of genuine brilliance here. The interviews with parents outside the school, the dialogue between the nine-year-old hostage and his captor regarding water heaters and utility bills...🙏

Then there's the opening, where the father bursts into the classroom with a gun... he asks the teacher where the children went, noting there used to be more of them. And the teacher just calmly replies, "Yes, there used to be more."🤣

In the middle of a hostage crisis, the cameraman decides to go buy supplies and drive them back to Chicago. For God's sake, business hours are business hours, I suppose.

However, the film suffers from a distinct lack of cohesion.

It feels somewhat overambitious. I don't mind a genre blend, but the moment Abid and his crew show up at the school, the momentum just evaporates.

A few random, numbered observations:

1. A uniformed officer realizes something is wrong, but instead of calling for backup, he enlists an unarmed duo consisting of a janitor and a professor to handle the situation.

2. Where were the cell phones? While stuck in the gym, the teacher could have alerted someone dozens of times that things had gone south and that they were now dealing with a different set of hostages.

3. Why would the janitor intentionally cause the professor's demise? He cuts all the lights in the gym, only to flip them back on seconds later, effectively resetting the poor man's brain.

4. The actor playing the mayor is easily the strongest performer. On the other hand, the actor playing the father failed to win me over,👎 which is a significant flaw given that he is the catalyst for the entire plot and one of the central figures.

5. What was the point of that final scene where the father and the police officer get into a physical altercation? It felt entirely superfluous.

6. My colleague Joshua Smith5 already brought this up, but it seems there is still no answer. What was the intended meaning behind the scene where the opponent's assistant loses his temper at him?

Ultimately, this is a mediocre piece of cinema filled with details that even low-budget foreign productions wouldn't be ashamed of. Unfortunately, the director's excess ambition drags the whole thing down.

I’m sitting here reading through all your little love letters to this movie, and man, I’d love to join the club, really I would, but I just can’t. It’s a bummer. Maybe I just set the bar way too high, because I genuinely thought this Knight's Film was one of those rare gems that could actually shake up our pathetic excuse for an American film scene, but nope. Zilch. Nada. Zero. Nothing.

Where do I even start with the venting?

Let's talk acting. It’s the same old story every single time—actors just reciting lines off a page like they're reading a grocery list. There’s zero authenticity. It’s like they’re all competing to see who can be the most wooden in this perpetually mediocre era of Hollywood. And honestly, trying to hide behind that "black comedy" vibe or those forced parodies doesn't help at all. Then there's the music, which is just painfully overdone. It feels like some cheap circus act where the tunes basically scream at you, "Hey! Something's happening now!" or "Watch out, tension incoming!" as if we're all complete morons who can't read a room.

And the worst part is, I actually wanted this one to hit.

The plot, the pacing, the whole flow... it’s just a disorganized mess. Everything is chaotic. The characters don't feel real, and neither do their actions. Take the lead guy and that gun of his. He actually felt more dangerous and gritty without it. With it, he just acted like a total moron. If his basic character profile is this much of a disaster, how are we supposed to buy into anything else happening on screen?

And that whole bit about the Istanbul Convention and that weird, subversive reverse-stigmatization stuff? Absolute rock bottom. On so many different levels.

Long story short: they aimed for the moon and crashed straight into the dirt. A big, fat nothing.

0🙂5

Joshua Smith5 said:I have a question for goldenhound32. In Matula's headquarters, toward the end of the movie, why does his assistant or whatever he is, lose his mind and charge at Matula?🤔

Man, you totally missed the point. It’s like this whole secret society thing, kinda twisted too. Matula/the mayoral candidate is basically just a pawn in the game. Or maybe he’s just one of those guys who actually craves the pain. Honestly, modern politics is just a total circus.

I’ve sat through this movie three times now. It’s fantastic. Every single time I watch it, I catch some subtle detail that slipped past me before.
The cast is top-tier, especially the teacher and the cop. And that tone... well, what more can you say about a total legend?
I might just give it another viewing down the road.
It’s such a shame Gregurević didn't live to see this finished. But hey, that's life. He basically dropped out of the academy early.

rowdyangler said:I’ve sat through this movie three times now. It’s fantastic. Every single time I watch it, I catch some subtle detail that slipped past me before.
The cast is top-tier, especially the teacher and the cop. And that tone... well, what more can you say about a total legend?
I might just give it another viewing down the road.
It’s such a shame Gregurević didn't live to see this finished. But hey, that's life. He basically dropped out of the academy early.

Could you maybe elaborate on that? Was Ivo supposed to be a mayor, or a father figure, or something along those lines?

Jessica Morris6 said:Could you maybe elaborate on that? Was Ivo supposed to be a mayor, or a father figure, or something along those lines?

I think Ivo was originally cast as the farmer. There's a dedication at the end of the movie along with some footage of him because they actually filmed some scenes together, but since it wasn't finished, they had to restart from scratch with a different actor.

Yeah, Sinclair hit the nail on the head there.