The Balkan Cowboy

It is no coincidence that Dragana Jurišić draws on the Western—a somewhat forgotten but surprisingly relevant genre—in her documentary. In today’s world, which contradicts itself at every turn, “justice” is a word that sounds somewhat old-fashioned. And yet we all want to believe that criminals will be punished by a good sheriff who will stand up for the most vulnerable. The film’s central character is Hari Džekson—a self-taught enthusiast who, at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, filmed legendary Yugoslav Westerns on 8mm film.

Dragana Jurišić—a Bosnian visual artist who lives in Ireland—returns to her hometown to shoot a Western with the help of the local community—and to pay a well-deserved tribute to the cult filmmaker. As she delves into his history, she uncovers the dark circumstances surrounding the end of the “Balkan Cowboy’s” career.

The film’s lighthearted, pastiche-like tone can take a 180-degree turn in an instant: instead of cowboys, real war criminals from the Bosnian War take the stage. Will justice finally triumph in the finale—as in every true Western?

Konrad Wirkowski

Age rating: 15+