Cavka is a film from the former Republic of Yugoslavia which shows the struggle of two boys, from different backgrounds, to become friends — regardless of the social expectations which their parents and teachers have prepared for them. Slobodan Negic plays one of the lead roles as a smart kid – who is expected to perform up to the demanding expectations of his father. His opposite number is the homeless, orphaned Cavka , portrayed by Marko Ratic.
After seeing the initial scenes, which were quite lyrical and melancholic, I more or less was able to get into the mood of the film. It reminded me of Warden of the Dead – which is another East European film I saw recently. Unlike it, however, Chavka focused on the friendship between the two boys – a friendship which develops throughout the film.
There are a lot of philosophical references in the film – from the feelings of the parents towards their kids, of the kids towards their peers and of the adults towards each other. I would not be surprised if Cavka finds its way in some of the Social Studies or Physiology studies in some schools, as it provides good possibilities for analysis. Throughout the film, I was not really able to associate the characters or the events on screen to my own experience – up until the last scene when the school psychologist speaks with one of the boys after the departure of his friend. I was deeply moved by her words and decided to quote them in this review – so even if you don’t have the chance to see the film you can read them :
“Life consists, among other things, of successes and failures. Failure is as equally an important part of life as success is. The one who can’t comprehend is in danger of being miserable often and long lasting. Your friendship with Cavka is your big success, as is his with you. lt is a success to reach a big, nice, impassive friendship.
And you reached it.
Cavka’s leaving is not your failure. lt is a failure of us grown ups, of the whole society. Unfortunately, you are the only one to percieve it as failure, because society is impersonal, and friendship is personal.
And your loss is quite personal. So, Cavka’s leaving is not your failure, but your loss, and we must face losses because they are part of our lives. Soon… “
Generally speaking, I hesitate to recommend the film as it gets a little odd at times and most likely many viewers would get bored at one time or another. I know I did – even though there were several good scenes – the rest felt a bit dull and depressing . Yet the young leads deliver good performances as does the rest of the cast. So if you decide to give it a shot – let me know what you thought of it after seeing it.