previously published on Cineuropa
Almost 20 years ago, one single court case exposed the hypocrisy and the deep-seated patriarchal model lying at the very foundation of Croatian society. Ana Magaš was put on trial and was eventually sentenced to prison time for the murder of her husband, after having suffered years of physical and emotional abuse in her marriage. The well-publicised case served as the inspiration for Vanja Juranić’s newest film, Only When I Laugh, which recently premiered at the Pula Film Festival, where it earned its lead actress, Tihana Lazović, a Golden Arena.
Only When I Laugh cannot simply be labelled as a film “based on true events”, since it is not so much about portraying the case that served as its inspiration (which, of course, is not the only case of its kind). Juranić’s focus is somewhere else, since she studies a society that still lets such things happen, rather than the case and the trial, or the crime and the punishment themselves. For that reason, the film has a certain universal appeal and importance that reaches beyond national and regional borders.
Certain things are expected of Tina (Lazović, the star of The High Sun and The Dawn, among other films). As a mother, she has to take good care of her elementary-school daughter Mara (Elodie Paleka). As a wife, she has to take care of the home and do the daily chores for her husband, Frane (Slavko Sobin), and as a daughter-in-law, she has to show a certain type of respect for his parents. When her life is viewed from the outside, she has nothing to complain about, because she married “well” and does not have to “work” for a relatively comfortable existence.
However, Tina has an ambition to be more than just a housewife. After meeting a former college friend, she decides to try to go back to her Psychology studies that she abandoned after meeting and marrying Frane. She gets little to no understanding, let alone support for the idea, from her mother (Serbian actress Jasna Đuričić in another terrific supporting role), who, belonging to another generation, simply does not comprehend it. After all, her daughter accepts the patriarchal model, since it is everything she knows, and her circle of friends, just like Tina, married “well” after secondary school and are satisfied with their housewife lifestyle. Meanwhile, Frane reacts to the idea through sabotage and violence, and the situation escalates one night after a misunderstanding.
The naturalistic approach that Juranić opts for suits the script that the filmmaker co-wrote with Elma Tataragić very well. The handheld cinematography by Danko Vučinović gives the vibes of an observational documentary, enriched with a good sense of frame composition, while Juranić’s own editing builds the tension almost to the level of a thriller, especially through rapid cuts of flash-forwards inserted as the protagonist’s nightmares.
The acting is also stellar throughout, with Tihana Lazović dominating the screen with her presence and keen instincts in an emotionally demanding role, but also creating different types of compellingly uneasy chemistry with other actors. Slavko Sobin is brilliant as the terrifying husband who demands obedience and gratitude from his wife, while Jasna Đuričić convincingly plays the role of a woman caught between a traditional worldview and the maternal instinct to help her daughter break the chains of the very same tradition.
In the end, Only When I Laugh might not be a groundbreaking piece of cinema, but it is well thought through and well made. However, its societal importance in the current climate surpasses its purely cinematic qualities.