Some 20 years after the armed conflict in former Yugoslavia, a diverse group of veterans gathers at a remote mountain hotel for a multi-day therapy session. The Slovenian psychiatrist wants the participants—Bosnians, Croats and Serbs—to let go of the myth of macho masculinity that has been bred into them, and by extension, their prejudices, so as to expose the inhumanity of the atrocities perpetrated both by themselves and by others. Despite his good intentions, the doctor isn’t prepared for the volatility of the situation, which starts to flame out of control when alcohol is added to the mix.
Some of the region’s finest actors play against type in this compelling drama which illustrates that catharsis is not so simple. All the men learned things about themselves during the war that they would rather not know, and their abiding feeling is a deep, soul-scorching shame.
Director Biography
Alen Drljevic’s latest feature, Men Don’t Cry, has earned the Special Jury Prize at Karlovy Vary IFF. Prior to his career, Drljevic studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarejevo and earned a nomination at the European Film Academy Awards for his undergraduate short-film Paycheck (’05). To date, he has completed four films.
Press
"[A] revealing peek inside the complex fusion of toxic masculinity, ethnic strife and real-life traumas that was caused and heightened by the conflict [rather than as a more traditional narrative]." - Hollywood Reporter
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