Buick Riviera

Colour, 35 mm
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, USA, 2008, 86 min
Section: Variety Critics’ Choice

Synopsis

The ethnic hatred behind the 1990s Balkan bloodshed sparks to life in startling fashion in Croatian writer-director Rusinovic’s artistically ambitious psychological thriller, based on a novel by Miljenko Jergovic. When two Bosnian immigrants, a Muslim and a Serb, meet by chance in America on a deserted North Dakota highway, the stage is set for some insidious mind games. Melancholy, out-of-work Hasan (Slavko Stimac) prizes his 1963 Buick Riviera, a car that symbolizes America’s elusive promise for him. However, when his Buick slips off the icy highway, Hasan is aided by a tough-talking Serb (Leon Lucev) in a Land Rover, who shares his own life story. Hasan’s rescuer later shows up on his doorstep, effortlessly charming Hasan’s wife in English while baiting him in Bosnian. Ultimately, Hasan makes a drastic move to recover his self-respect.