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No One's Son A Wonderful Night in Split

 
 

A Wonderful Night in Split

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"A Wonderful Night in Split" is a realistic, gritty drama with some surrealistic elements, set in a ghetto of the Croatian medieval city of Split. The whole story of the film takes place in only two hours - from 10 in the evening until midnight, on New Year's Eve.

There are three separate stories in this drama, which share the same space, time and certain characters. These three stories proceed one after the other; each one begins at 10 PM and ends at midnight, at the beginning of the New Year's festivities.

Throughout the film there is New Year's rock concert by a real-life well-known rock star held in the center of the Ghetto, on an old Roman Square. The film opens at the end, in midnight, with the fireworks display. The rock concert is interrupted due to a tragic event, and to find out what had happened, we go back in time and we start with the first story.


   In this first story we follow a petty drug dealer called Nike who makes love to Maria, a widow of a soldier and a mother of a traumatized 9-year old kid. Although Maria insists on Nike staying with her for New Year, he unexpectedly admits that he immediately needs to go by bus to Munich and that he will not come back. Nike leaves Maria in tears and heads straight to Blacky, the main drug dealer. In a seedy pub Blacky hands him a package of heroin. Nike is supposed to deliver it to a certain address in Munich, receive a large payment and return to Split.

But Nike plans to double cross Blacky, keep the money he will get and stay in Germany. He has already packed his belongings before rushing to the bus station. But police are waiting for him there and he barely manages to escape. Realizing he was set up by Blacky, Nike gives his best to find him. He does, but during their fight Nike kills Blacky. Unable to return to his own apartment Nike decides to return to Maria to find shelter there.

But, Maria's son notices Nike, waits for him in front of the apartment and shoots him with his late father's gun. Seriously wounded, Nike stumbles down the steps, exits onto the streets and dies while the New Year's celebration is just starting.


   In the second story we are introduced to Maja, a young teenage heroin addict who has a crisis and desperately needs a shot of heroin. All her efforts to find drugs are fruitless, so she turns to Blacky for help. But he refuses to help her since she has no money.

In the same time Blacky finds out that there is a group of American sailors who are looking for a prostitute. They want to treat their buddy who is depressed since he has just received a good-bye letter from his fiancé. Blacky offers Maja to go with the sailor and to "earn" for her heroin shot. Maja, having no other choice, reluctantly agrees.

Blacky takes Maja and the sailors to an old woman who occasionally rents out her own bedroom for such things. While Maja wants to do it as soon as possible and get what she desperately needs, the sailor called Franky doesn’t show any intention to sleep with her. He keeps telling her about his ex-fiancé and tries to persuade Maja for help with something he doesn't have courage to do - to kill himself.

Maja refuses, but still, in the final seconds towards the New Year desperate Franky musters up courage and shoots himself in the head. While the beautiful fireworks display happens above the city, Maja, the old woman and other sailors remain shocked by what Franky just did.


   In the third story we follow two teenagers, Luke and Angela, who decided to lose their virginity before the beginning of the New Year. They have no place to go, and their efforts to do it in an entrance of a building were unsuccessful. Luke by coincidence meets Blacky who offers him some acid. Luke refuses, but then Blacky gives him a key to a drug users' hide-out for the sake of their old friendship.

Luka takes Angela to the empty apartment, which dominates the Roman square where the concert is held. To his surprise, Angela gives Luka some LSD after which make love. Soon after they begin to hallucinate; Angela thinks that the building is leaning while Luka feels he has large wings instead of his arms.

While Angela was unable to react, Luka climbs on the edge. In his imagination begins to communicate with the singer and the people at the concert down below. He thinks they call him to jump down, so at the end of New Year's countdown Luka bravely jumps. Instead of falling down, to his great surprise, he continues to fly. He sees down below the concert that is interrupted, he sees Nike who is dying and he sees the old woman that yells for help. Luka continues to fly, with a smile on his face, towards the magnificent fireworks exploding above the city.
Arsen Anton Ostojic © 2004-2010