Slide 1

feature film by Tomislav aja DORUSHA Slide 2 Our story beings in Livno, a small town in Bosnia, where the summers are mild and warm, but its the winters that make these lands unique. Snowstorms that rage through the night separate entire villages from the rest of the world. Hardheaded and rough, the people of Bosnia share these qualities with the land. This unforgiving world is where our main character, Mate, the driving legend, lives. Every year, Mate is the man that clears the mountain roads and trails between Livno and Kupres of snow, along with his one true love, Dorua, which is and old TATRA cargo lorry that hes kept in the firm hes been employed in for over 40 years. To him, Dorua is far more than a heap of iron. He calls her Lipa moja and shes never ever let him down. Matos family situation is very complex. His wife Franjka always complains that hes drinking brandy like water. It all lead to a state in which their marriage exists only on paper. Lonely and alone, Mate lives life from today till tomorrow in his own world of dreams, responsibilities and alcohol. In his misery Mate recalls better times, when he was a young man with honest intentions and he keeps wondering: How could have it led to this? He doesnt find the answer, nor does he come to terms with destiny. In the green hills of Bosnia Slide 3 Mates oldest son Ante, also a proffessional driver, lives with his wife Marija and their two kids in a unfinished house in Livno. Despite being physically similar to his father, Ante doesnt care about his father as much as he does about him. In fact, theres been a cold barrier between them for years, which is obviously breaking Mates heart. When Marija asks him why the two dont respect each other, he tells har that he simply cannot forgive his father for not helping him build his house as much as he expected him to and that hes ashamed of him because of his drinking problems. Marija reminds him that ha wasnt like this all his life, but this makes Ante upset. Ante concludes that as far as hes concerned, all thats left for him are Marija and their two children and that he doesnt want to hear of his father. Hes also out of touch with his brother Niko, who left his homeland in search of a better life in Germany. Despite the fact that he often drives through Germany, or specifically Stuttgart, which is where his brother lives, he never bothers to make contact. He resents Niko because he accepted this German way of life. Marija, however, being a caring mother and good wife, accepts the fact that Ante will never answer her questions. Like father, like son? Slide 4 Niko, Mates younger son left Livno as a young man and moved to Germany because Mate convinced him to do so. Being open minded and liberal, selfless and wishing for a better life, he learned German and found a job as a car mechanic. Accepted by his employer, and old German, Niko found something that hed never have found in Livno: an honest job that pays honest money. However, finances werent the only thing that made Niko stay in Stuttgart. Karin, a woman he is emotionally envoled with, walked into his life. The love and respect he gets from Karin is what makes him settle in Germany. Unfortunately, despite the happines they share, Nikos mother Franjka doesnt accept Karin as the bride and tries talking him into coming back to his homeland, which he refuses and stops communitacting with her. Goodbye Livno. Goodbye forever. STIPE ERCEG (Niko) I like the fact Niko speaks two languages. Being convincing in one language is demanding, but being convincing in two is a real challenge that im looking forward to. Slide 5 Nothing changes in Livno. Mate still drinks and clears the roads and trails of snow, Franjka mingles with the local, sharing gossip and drinking coffee, and Ante still ignores his father. One day, the director of Mates firm tells him that theres a new owner, an austrian company thats retiring Mate and all the other old and deteriorating alcoholic drivers. Mate tries intervening, but soon he accepts his fate and makes a thesis about hierarchy, stating that the managers always fare better than common workers. After hearing from the director that hes giving him Dorua because its far too old, he gets upset, saying that he can talk bad things about everything except his Dorua. Instead of going home to give Franjka the bad news, he gets drunk with his friend and spends yet another night of his life alone. Humiliated as a worker, Mate finds a little human comfort in his grandsons that Marija brings over for a visit the next morning. While hes showing the kids some freshly hatched chicks, Marija makes him coffee and appears to be the only one in the family that cares about him. As she listens to his stories, her impression of Mate as a good man is strenghtened, and she is further saddened by the situation that hes in. A wasted life. Slide 6 Far away from the situation in Livno Niko meets Albert and Margharete, Karins parents. Albert, a hearty man by nature, rids Niko of his fears that he wont be accepted into the family because of his nationality. Through jokes, Niko teaches Albert about all the different kinds of Brandy in Bosnia. Despite the relationship with his family, Niko never forgot who he was and where he was from, so he used every opportunity to tell other people from other cultures about his customs. In this case it was Albert. After a night full of laughs even Margharite accepts Niko, despite her initial disapproval of the relationship between Karin and a bosnian, and finaly, Albert gives the two his blessings. Albert starts asking about Kupres, because he intends to go skiing there with Margharite. Encouraged by the outcome of the evening, Niko makes an important decision. What does a Kraut know about brandy? COSMA SHIVA HAGEN (Karin) There are a lot of women married to foreigners in Germany, which often puts them in hopeless situations. The way Karin solves these problems impresses me. Slide 7 Livno, a few months later. Bikan, Mates colleague from work dies suddenly. He was fired, just like mate, but he didnt quite experience his pension. At the funeral, the handles on the coffin snap, making the coffin tumble on the ground. One of the hearse drivers makes a funny remark about this, stating that if he wasnt dead already, this wouldve killed him for sure. After the funeral two groups are formed, each mourning Bikan in their own way. The traditional mens gathering one side, and the women on the other. The men recall Bikan and his endeavors and despite the bad rumors that always circulated about him, they find sympathy for him. The women, however, cant think of a single good quality of his. Without remorse, they all agree that he was a bad man that neglected his wife and kids. Later that evening, Mate comes home hammered and talks to Dorua in his yard. As if he was talking to his best frend, he pours out his soul, telling her that he thinks Bikan saved himself by dying. Franka screams at him, saying that shes had it with him and Dorua. After failing to find anything to drink in the house, he goes out to a nearby well, where he recalls that this is the very well where Franjka made fun of him the first time he got drunk. Alone by the well, he starts singing A fistful of tears, a bag of laughter, whats life but a fictional disaster. Friends until we die. Slide 8 In Stuttgart, Niko decides to build a house with Karin. In his quest for money, he decides to go to Livno to ask his father to sell the land that belongs to him. Karin tries to stop him, but Niko tells her that he needs to solve the feuds in his family once and for all. Upon arriving to his homeland, Niko finds his drunk father asleep in the house, but he still gives him a hearty hello. Mate asks about Karin and gives Niko his blessings and allows him to sell the land. That evening, Ante calls Niko over. Despite Nikos efforts to create a friendly atmosphere, Antes rude remarks and behaviour ruin everything. Finally, he demands that his father gives him a part of the land and leaves the house angry. Niko gives up on his plans to sell the land. Franjka locks herself in her room and refuses to even talk to Niko. Niko says goodbye to his father and leaves for Germany. The next morning, before leaving, he secretly gives the part of land he wanted to sell to Antes three year old son. What follows is a period without communication. Ante and Mate dont talk to each other. Niko is focusing on his life with Karin and he soon finds out that hes going to be a father. Mate, depressed by what happened between him and his sons becomes introverted. Theyre everything, except brothers. Slide 9 A month later, Alber and Margharete come to Kupres. They enjoy every day they spend skiing and eating quality food. Inspired by the conversation in which he and Margharete praise Kupres and the the good things it brings into life, Albert cant understand why a war was waged in Bosnia and Herzegovina. So much beauty on one side, and so much terror on the other. The next morning Albert takes off on his own to explore the mountains. After failing to come back on time, Margharete calls the police for help. She then calls Karin and she and Niko rush to Livno. Unable to go looking for Albert due to the snow storm, the hotels director and the police ask Mates former firm to send their best driver. The director makes a very hard decision: Three years after letting him off, he calls Mate for help. A snowy drama on Kupres. RAINER HUNOLD (Albert) Albert is a likeable character, whose strong traits are well implemented into the story. He finds himself in everything he does, except skiing. Slide 10 After hearing that a life is in danger, Mate moves out with Dorua without hesitation. Franjka, fearing for his husbands life, calls for help. Moments later, Niko and Karin arrive in Livno. In a dramatic scene, in Mates house, sides in conflit meet for the first time: Franjka and Karin, Ante and Niko, Germany and Bosnia, the past and the future. Their lethargy and indecisivness is interrupted by Marija, who threatens to divorce Ante should he refuse to help his brother in his search for Mate and Albert. Her emotional outburst sets the foundation for the coming- together of all those present. Ante and Niko set off on a dangerous trip towards Kupres and the three women remain at home. Marija asks one question that awakes Franjkas consciousness, making her realise that shes been wrong all these years after which she begs for Karins forgiveness. Karin accepts her apology. Its now or never. PETRA BLOSSEY (Margharete) Margharete goes through rough times, as a mother and as a wife, but never loses faith. I like that the story shows that one must sometimes walk in someone elses shoes in life. Slide 11 The two brothers follow their fathers trail in the snow. During this journey into the unknown, the brothers realize theyve both been wrong, and without any words and with small gestures they make amends. In the meantime, Mate locates Albert. While pulling him out of his snow covered car, his sons arrive to his aid. Upon seeing his sons working together, he is overwhelmed by feelings of joy that hes been wishing for for years, feelings hes lost hope for. United and at peace, the three of them take Albert to the home of a doctor, who gives him the best cure for hypothermia brandy. Albert takes a few sips and immediately starts smiling. The next morning Albert and Mate are driving in Dorua. Niko, Margharete and Ante are driving behind them. Soon, they pull up in front of Mates house. Marija, Franjka and Karin come out of the house. Everything that had to be said and done to turn a new page in life was said and done. By looking at everyones faces, one could see they were ready for something new. The last snowflakes are slowly falling to the ground. The storm is over. Thank you, Dorua! END Slide 12 THE DIRECTORS MOTIVATION Dorua is a family drama that touches on elemenetary family and interpersonal relations, questions that everyone runs into, one way or another. The movie portrays one of many families in Bosnia and Herzegovina that have at least one of its members working a temporary job abroad. Its a gastarbaiter story about people that are physically, emotionally and mentally stretched between their own abilities to accept and not accept, peace and unrest, love and hate. The source of the conflicts in the family is a conflict of cultures that happens when one memeber of the family accepts a foreign way of life and its customs, that influence his thinking and behaviour, which his mother and brother simply cannot accept. The other source of conflict in the family is the fact that Mate drinks brandy like water. Mate drinks because he is bothered by the bad relationship he has with his wife Franjka, but what bothers him even more is that his sons dont get along. And so we come to a vicious circle that is hard to break. The basic problem of family members lies in their inability to accept each others differences (character, national,cultural), which results in disrespect, rejection, misunderstanding. The solution to these situations is rarely something easy, good and nice. It most often emerges through difficulties, crysis and pressure. A crysis manifests itself here as a natural disaster, a natural purification. One external crysis helps the family solve their internal crysis and find peace on the elementary level of human understanding, the one on which all differences disappear and appear as illusions illusions that we ourselves counstruct with our insatiable desires and egocentric aspirations to fulfill all our wishes, regardless of possible consequences. Since noone in this family was able to solve these numerous complex conflicts and problems that accumulated over the years, life itself got involved, and life tends to complicate things for years, and then untangle them in a day. When things get to the point at which they they simply couldnt be any worse, something happens inside people. It becomes a challenge, and if theres any courage and love left in them, they will risk their lives to do the impossible, overcome the biggest of obstacles and come out stronger and better. For this family it is the saving of a strangers life in a snow storm (who turns out to be the father-in-law to one of the brothers). Life deals us cards in a way that is all but coincidential, and it is our job to respond to them with the best weve got. Thats all we can do. Afterwards, were probabbly thinking that we shouldve done it some other, better way. Before, we usually think that we will do better than we really can. But, in life there is no before and after, theres only here and now. And a lot of things are possible here and now. Even things such as Mate treating his old truck Dorua like a living being with a soul. In fact, if it wasnt for Dorua, his family wouldnt exist, either. If we take a closer look at the hand that life dealt to Mates family, we will realise that Dorua isnt any common card, but a joker. Dorua is the symbol of the hidden strength that we carry and find in ourselves, regardless of our weaknesses and bad deeds, the strength that allows us to go beyond our limits. Tomislav aja Slide 13 AUTHORS Director:Tomislav aja Duh babe Ilonke, Alma Mahler (TV), 30 documentary movies Screenwriter:Ivica Perkovi CAST NikoStipe Erceg Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex KarinCosma Shiva Hagen 7 Zwerge, Der Bibelcode (TV) AlbertRainer Hunold Ein Fall fr zwei (TV), Der Staatsanwalt (TV) MargharetePetra Blossey Unter uns (TV) MateMustafa Nadarevi Otac na slubenom putu, Niija zemlja, Nafaka FranjkaVlasta Knezovi Povratak AnteGoran Navojec Duga mrana no, Dva igraa s klupe MarijaZrinka Cvitei Konjanik, to je mukarac bez brkova? DirectorEmir Hadihafizbegovi Armin, Grbavica, Metastaze DoctorLjubia Samardi Bitka na Neretvi, Kozara, Valter brani Sarajevo CONTACTS Producer:Boris Dmitrovi Sophies Choice, Death Train, Pad Italije, Gospoica GSM:+385 98 458 917 E-mail: borisd@formulafilm.hr