The story of a few untrained construction workers from poor underdeveloped parts of the country, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina or Macedonia, who carry out seasonal work in the highly-developed republic of Slovenia. Far from home, problems arise for the men - with their families, alcohol, the local population's derision and the "real Slovenian workers".
Acting
Ljubiša Samardžić's Abdul simmers with wounded dignity.
Writing
Dialogue that weaponizes regional slurs as social commentary.
Director
Jože Babič
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Babič filmed during Yugoslavia's 'economic miracle,' when Slovenian development literally depended on southern labor migration the film exposes.
The title's double meaning — don't return home defeated, but also don't come back the same person — mirrors the permanent psychological displacement the workers experience.
YU
