PORTRAIT OF AN AUTHOR: ANTE BABAJA
The Films of Ante Babaja
Ante Babaja is an author of a diversified,
but integral and consistent world which has two fundamental
emanations — one that is stylized and playful/satirical
and one that is realistic/naturalistic/documentary. A (critical)
interest in human nature and social surrounding in addition
to the questioning and investigation of the formal possibilities
of film is the bond that connects them. Babaja’s representative
character (lonely, introverted) is a sensitive individual,
unhappy on the one hand due to the inherent uneasiness
of his being, and on the other hand, under the influence
of the dominant mediocrity of his surroundings (including
political persecution).
Ante Babaja has made an indelible mark in three film forms
— feature, documentary and experimental, and, at the very
least, his three films Body, Birch Tree and Lost
Homeland, are anthological achievements in Croatian cinema
which have also earned him a special place in the realm of
European and world cinema. Even though the public in general,
and the majority of critics attribute his undeniable status
as a classic of Croatian film solely to his film Birch
Tree, it should be emphasized that within the framework
of Croatian cinema, Babaja’s entire feature length opus is
exceptional (The Emperor’s New Clothes and Smells,
Gold and Thyme). It would also be difficult to find something
to equal his short length opus (with the peak of excellence
achieved in Elbow, Justice, Jury, and Love),
and his Can You Hear Me? together with Can You
Hear Me Know?, undoubtedly belong in the highest category
of documentary film works, while his Body is an immeasurable
contribution to experimental film which, at the time, had
world wide relevance. In short, Ante Babaja is one of the
most intriguing and most creative personalities in Croatian
film.
Damir Radić |
