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.
It all started with a book I stumbled upon today – “Le petit Nicolas” by René Goscinny. I found the book rather accidentally, but five minutes after I started reading it I was laughing aloud and have become a fan of Nicolas and the unique humor of René Goscinny. The book consists of a series of short stories describing the adventures of a little French boy -and all of them told in the first person by Nicolas himself. (I actually sent an enthusiastic 
Much has been said and written about the acclaimed Danish film “Du er ikke alene” (You Are Not Alone). For fans of the coming of age genre, ” You Are Not Alone ” is what ” Star Wars ” is for the sci-fi fans. Lasse Nielsen, who directed the film back in 1978, agreed to give an exclusive interview for theskykid.com and its readers.
theskykid.com : How was your film received in other countries? Was the film ever banned or not respected in some parts of the world?
theskykid.com: You are not alone has a beautiful theme song. Who chose it? Did someone talk to Sebastian and then he wrote the song according to the film content or did he came with songs to chose?
It was not that long ago when I wrote about the upcoming feature film “
Ausentes is a well told Spanish drama/terror movie written and directed by (
Life is full of coincidences – and of them is that I got to watch the short film “Sandman” just a few days after I started working temporarily as a lifeguard. The film itself made me reread my life-saving instructions and a bit nervous about my next day at work as there is some generally spooky feeling in it associated with water and drowning. For most coming-of-age fans the film would be mostly notable because of the appearance of Christopher Pettiet in the lead role.
Christopher Pettiet really impressed me with his acting and appearance . There was something very American in him and the whole film – or at least that`s how I felt while watching the film. The camerawork was good – and the surf scenes were well shot. I did not like the soundtrack much – but for a short film that is rather a minor thing.
Robbie is an American film released more than 50 years ago. During the years it has achieved classic status as if to remind the world what US films once were before everything went mainstream Hollywood. The best way to describe the film is to say that it is heavily influenced by the story of Robinson Crusoe and some may even argue that Robby is it’s modern remake, with a younger cast and a more idealistic setup.
It should be said that the time frame by which this was written made the movie have a deeper meaning than viewed today. It was released in 1968 when America was in the final throws of Racial division. This movie featuring 
While the camera work was excellent (And I’m sure tricky) and the tropical location supreme, the acting though good, was not exceptional. Working with children is difficult enough when making a movie, but the entire film rests on the acting of two and the dialog of only one. I think it should have been a little stronger. There were periods where eye to camera avoidance was obvious and dialog seemed to run a little long and insincere. However, when I remember the boy carrying the story was all of ten years old, I think he did a great job. But the film overall was good in its message, and the interaction between the boys was wholesome and delightful. Much of the film occurs after Robby sheds his need for clothing so if you are a prude, you will not be happy with the naturalist atmosphere of the movie.
I think that it would be great to interview Warren Raum and Ryp Siani or any of the cast or crew today and ask them about the filming and the experience. Warren Raum would now be 51. No evidence exists that either actor went on acting, at least not under these names. But given the climate and the nature of the filming, it had to be a very difficult shoot. The sand alone makes things difficult. It shows set up tracks so there is much to do in neutralizing the evidence of the camera crews presence. Not to mention it get’s into everything. Especially with the constant on-shore breeze. The sky and lighting also changes rapidly there and the tropical nature means rain is coming at any moment. I’m sure it meant there was a lot of waiting and a lot of setup and anticipation only to be postponed by weather.