Srđan Vuletić: Young Generations Are Much Better Than I Thought

In his new film Otter, director Srđan Vuletić uses the story of a 16-year-old girl shaken by two major traumas to offer a glimpse into the generation that will inherit the world.

Twenty-two years ago, you made your directorial debut with the award-winning film Summer in the Golden Valley, about a 16-year-old boy repaying his late father’s debt. What led you, in Otter, to bring to the forefront a 16-year-old girl, Hana, who must cope with the loss of her father?

 

Hana’s character was already at the heart of Stefan Bošković’s script when it came to me, and I thought that the story of a 16-year-old girl who, in the intense moment of losing her father, is confronted with the expectations of her mother, extended family, love interest, and others was in fact an excellent foundation for articulating a contemporary, compelling story about finding one’s place in the sun, building self-confidence, and embracing oneself.

 

 

The fact that our main character faces not one, but two major traumas resonated strongly with everyone involved in the project from the very beginning. Although both are deeply personal, one is tied to family, while the other concerns Hana’s emotional life. One drama unfolds within the walls of her apartment, the other outside of it, which allowed me to maximize the pressure on our heroine. It’s as if she has nowhere to take a break from these traumas - a situation that always works well for a film, keeping the protagonist constantly active and unable to escape the problem, forcing her to confront it head-on.

 

 

First of all, I’d like to say that Maša and her performance are vital to our film, and we didn’t even realize the full extent of her potential at the start. The way Maša worked, both effortlessly and with discipline, and how well she functioned as part of the team with Savina, Pavle, and the other actors allowed us to never deviate from the clear vision we had for what this film should look like and be.

 

At the auditions, she didn’t immediately stand out as the final choice for the role, but as time went on and the pool of candidates for the lead role narrowed, she kept getting better and better. This was a clear sign that she took direction well, had the necessary focus, and understood Hana’s character. What attracted me most to the idea that she should be the lead was her subtlety, precision, and quick grasp of things.

 

I should also add that we chose Maša from among several hundred candidates, and at no point did we think we made a mistake.

 

 

A small correction: Otter wasn’t just shot in Montenegro - it is a Montenegrin film directed by a Bosnian-Herzegovinian filmmaker. I would say that Montenegrin cinema is currently healthier than the BH film industry, and the qualitative difference comes down to a functional national film center, which Montenegro has, and we don’t.

 

The Montenegrin Film Center has been well-managed for the past decade, building a network with similar institutions and festivals, and as a result, they have a working strategy that supports Montenegrin projects from early development through to completion. In this context, I also see my involvement in Vidra as a foreign director as part of the vitality of Montenegrin cinema.

 

By contrast, the BH film industry is in a state of prolonged euthanasia, where filmmakers try to make films despite the fact that, listen to this, film foundations do not function, the BH Telecom Content Lab platform has been shut down, there is no film law, and creators do not receive their authors’ rights. Yet the biggest frustration is the local politicians who absolutely refuse serious dialogue with the film community aimed at solving these problems.

 

 

On one hand, it was challenging, but on the other, very beneficial, as I was able to practically test directorial choices from Gym and understand which ones I wanted to carry over into Otter. At the same time, I feel the need to evolve in my craft, and I made a firm decision to approach these two films completely differently. So, to circle back, this situation, which is quite rare in our region, was very useful in defining the cinematic language I wanted to use to tell Otter’s story.

 

 

Stefan and I clicked from the very beginning. We liked many of the same films, and interestingly, we also didn’t like many of the same films, which created a good foundation for our work together. Besides being an excellent writer and screenwriter, what I appreciate most about Stefan is a rare quality for screenwriters: he’s not attached to his, otherwise very strong, dialogues. In fact, he often pushed me to cut certain parts. That was a real breath of fresh air, considering that screenwriters usually fight for every comma, every letter, let alone a whole line.

 

 

These awards definitely helped in bringing the project to life, but even more importantly, they confirmed that we were on the right path, that our story is understandable, exciting, and universal. In that sense, I believe they also greatly supported Ivan Đurović, the film’s producer, throughout all stages of Otter’s production.

 

 

Once I realized that Maša, Savina, Lara, and Mara were not the typical inert child actors but could actually contribute creatively to the film, the process became much easier. I treated them just like the professional actors in the rest of the cast. Of course, they needed guidance, especially regarding timing and choices of actions and reactions, but it was a relationship of equal partnership, not a simplistic directing of non-actors on set.

 

 

They’re much better than I thought. That’s all I’ll say.

 

 

First and foremost, encouragement. Encouragement to not run away from their problems, but to recognize and understand them - because that’s the first step toward solving them. Furthermore, to realize that they themselves are ultimately responsible for their own lives, and that no one else can help them as much as they can help themselves.