Farmers who lived through history's chaos finally get their close-up.
The protagonists of this docudrama are old farmers who migrated to Banat after the First World War, in 1922. The film is focused on a couple of important events in their impressive lives, which are woven into lively scenes and stories full of wise instances. Their statements become spontaneous recounts of the lives of people in this region.
Direction
Žilnik blurs reality and performance until you can't tell which hurts more.
Writing
Every line spoken carries the weight of actual survival.
Director
Želimir Žilnik
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Banat's multi-ethnic communities were shattered by post-WWI border redraws; this film preserves voices from a Yugoslavia that no longer exists.
Žilnik pioneered 'docudrama' in Yugoslav cinema, staging real testimonies to challenge state-approved historical narratives. The 'illness' of the title? Possibly the body politic itself.
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