Pula Film Festival 2024: Holy Family (by Vlatka Vorkapić) | Review
Holy Family shines with its theatrical rural setting, breathtaking visuals, and remarkable costume design but falls short on emotional depth.
There is a theatrical quality to Holy Family (Sveta obitelj, 2023) that gives the impression of a stage-to-screen adaptation. This is due to the 1960s traditional rural setting and point-by-point plot development, which leaves not enough room or substance for the characters to fully form.
The story relies heavily on recognizable stereotypes: the promiscuous head of the family keeping everyone under his thumb because of his financial power; an enabling wife who finds solace in religion and uses her piety to look down on other villagers; a young son castrated by a domineering father and overbearing mother; and his young wife who naively walks into the backstage of a picture-perfect family.
Janja (meaning “lamb,” played by Luna Pilić) is a field worker who catches the eye of a large estate owner, Marko (Nikola Đuričko). He sees her, in no uncertain terms, as a sacrificial lamb who will complete the image of their respectable family by being married off to his son Ivo (Ivan Čuić).
Marko is under the impression that because she is poor and gentle, Janja will follow his and his wife’s lead submissively. What he doesn’t count on is the fact that people who’ve learned to survive dire circumstances aren’t as impressed by the power of money and possess an ingrained confidence that can’t be swayed by wealth. At least that’s how it is with Janja, who is happy to be respectful to the family but feels a deep allegiance to her husband.
It is unclear why Ivo is so detached from his beautiful and caring wife, to the point that a queer subplot is predicted but fortunately not intended. It would be a type of cheap box-ticking that this otherwise underdeveloped story wouldn’t survive. There is already too much violence and morbidity contained in this feature, which views its rural setting as primitive without much compassion as is.
Where Holy Family shines is in its exteriors, scenography, and costume design. And this is in no way meant to be derisive. The sunlit fields where Janja and Ivo finally find a way to fall in love are washed in golden hour light that is charming. The sets are a valuable collection of details of rural life not often seen in contemporary Croatian film, with the traditional wear being the most impressive. Intricately designed head scarves, dresses, and footwear make the movie feel like walking into a painting.
Holy Family is a second feature by director Vlatka Vorkapić, and it shows a steady directorial hand and grandiose vision. However, in her screenwriting with Slavica Šnur, she relies too much on didactics instead of feelings. Gifted with such a wonderful cast, it’s a shame so much time was attributed to shock value and so little to lyricism. There was a lot of potential there for the movie to sing.
Our writer Ramona Boban-Vlahović is on the ground at the 71st Pula Film Festival in Croatia, taking place on 11-18 July 2024.
