We organised a film critic workshop for high school students in collaboration with Cinedays 2018 and Critical camp. This is one of the reviews written during the workshop.

2018 – Montenegro, Herceg Novi / Bijela

”You have the night” is a breathtaking realistic drama directed by Ivan Salatic. In his first feature film, Ivan Salatic gives us a feeling that is hard to explain, a desolation to a place where everything is falling apart. The movie is about a place called Bijela, situated in Montenegro where the director comes from.

It begins with a story somewhere in the sea on a ship where Sanja (Ivana Vukovic), the lead character, works as a hostess. While cleaning the rooms she listened to a woman who talks about her pointless life and how she wants to start everything from the start. Sanja later loses the job on the ship and wonders alone in a foreign land hoping that she will go home safely to her family: her son, ex-lover and divorced parents.

When Sanja returns to her village she is not only disappointed by her life, but also from what happened in her hometown. She discovers about the bankruptcy of the shipyard leaving numerous people out of work. About the bankruptcy of the shipyard, we only hear it on the radio but its effects are surely noticed and fantastically shown during the movie. There are so many people left without anything, hoping for better days and yet they still help each other in their hard time. Sanja is also a single mother who wants to take her child away from the depression that surrounds them. But then comes the part where all the hope is lost when one life fades away.

The movie is not built around a simple plot because Ivan Salatic shows us many stories in an unexplained way. The unbelievably good cinematography makes the movie unique and leaves you with a nostalgic feeling. The director of the cinematography Ivan Markovic did an amazing job making the place look dark and depressing. The dark theme of the place flows masterfully with the storyline and everything looks like it’s not imaginary.

When you see the bigger picture of the film you can notice that everything revolves around the sea making it even more sorrowful. The actors Luka Petrone, Ivana Vukovic etc., are amazing because they present the stories in a way that you can connect with the characters. The movie has high-quality sound design as well, which makes it more melancholic and challenging for the audience. The most effective sounds that left a mark on me were blowing of the wind and the splashing waves. There is only a little dialogue present yet the movie still leaves you speechless. The costumes were not extravagant, but minimal so they can fit the story perfectly.

”You have the night” is an extraordinary movie that leaves you thinking long after it ends. The movie attracts only a certain audience due to its heavy content and unusual way of explaining the problems in our society.

Martina Kostadinova