Withering

After years spent in Belgrade, Janko returns to a half-abandoned village, the home of his widowed mother Milica. While she lives in the hope that Janko is back for good and that he will take over the care of the house and the land, her son soon confesses that he has entirely different intentions: his heart is leading him elsewhere. In this, his second feature film, Serbian director Miloš Pušić masterfully evokes the life of a remote mountain village whose aging inhabitants are slowly dying out as their progeny leave for the city forever. The director depicts a classic clash of generations with understanding for both sides of the story. While the elderly have a strong bond to the area and the land, their descendants yearn for a better life. Underscored by wistful melodies accompanied on accordion, the picturesque mountain scenery adds an artful final touch to this image of a gradually disappearing world. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)