Bread and Milk

Black and white, 35mm
Slovenia, 2001, 68 min
Section: Horizons - Awarded Films

Synopsis

Ivan, a middle-aged man, is released a day early from a detox clinic when the medical staff go on strike. It seems that the worst of his alcoholism is now behind him. His son Robi still treats him like an unwelcome guest, but his wife Sonja believes that they can now make a real go of it. The next day, when she goes off to work, she asks her husband to buy some bread and milk. On his way to the shops Ivan meets an old school friend who had worked abroad for years. Armando invites him for a drink but Ivan resists. When he finds out, however, that his friend had once spent the night with Sonja, he has good reason to get the drink down him. He parts with Armando on bad terms and heads for his local bar to find his old drinking crowd. Back home, Sonja watches in despair as the hands move round the clock, also unaware that Robi is in the same bar shooting up in the toilets, using drugs he has bought with the precious house-keeping money. “The film Bread and Milk is about people who live between heaven and hell,” says the director. “It’s about people we all know.” Lion of the Feature Award for Best First Film at the Venice IFF 2001.

About the director

Jan Cvitković (b. 1966) grew up in Tolmin, the setting of his debut film Bread and Milk. After finishing school he decided to “get some experience” and set off on his travels, visiting various countries, among them Israel, Egypt and East Africa. He studied archeology but was soon writing his first screenplay for the short film Robbery of the Century (Rop stoletja, l998). He co-wrote the feature film Idle Running (V leru, l999) with director Janez Burger, in which he also plays the lead. The film was screened in competition at the 34th Karlovy Vary IFF and won a number of awards at domestic and foreign festivals, including an award for best actor. As a screenwriter he was also involved in the documentary series Off Switch (Odklop).