STRIC

2022 / 104 min / color

The feature debut from co-directors David Kapac and Andrij Mardesić takes place in 1980s Yugoslavia, where a couple and their nearly grown-up only son are busy with preparations for Christmas Eve dinner. They eagerly await the titular uncle — a guest from “the superior Western world.” When the uncle parks his luxurious Mercedes Benz in front of the house, at first he seems like a real “king of the world.” But his visit soon triggers a chain of absurd and unpredictable events that pointedly reveal the fragility of the family’s relationships as well as a level of hypocrisy in the presented world. The directors use thriller and situation comedy conventions to show the potential for toxicity in family relationships. Skillfully building an atmosphere of danger and oppression, the film brings to mind the aesthetics of Michael Haneke films so well-known to Polish viewers, highlighted by intense and at times purposely over-the-top performances.

• Karlovy Vary IFF – Specjał Jury Mention (Proxima Competition)
• Pula IFF – Best Screenplay, Best Costume Design