Cinematic Nightmares

M (2023)

The new Macedonian film M (retitled as BEYOND THE WASTELAND for US distribution) directed by Vardan Tozija is an excellent example of smart use of the genre(s) in alignment with director’s vision. I watched it at the 18th Festival of Serbian Fantastic Film. Of the four feature films shown at the festival, M was the one I most wanted to see. Among the others, ŠALŠA (SUMMER TEETH) directed by Dražen Žarković looked like an interesting horror-comedy – it turned out to have more horror elements than I expected, which was great for me, though I wouldn’t call the film iself great. I saw Mladen Đorđević’s film WORKING CLASS GOES TO HELL (RADNIČKA KLASA IDE U PAKAO) a few months earlier at the Slaughter Horror Film Festival (very good film, excellent festival), and I’d rather not repeat my opinion on the Romanian film THE SECRET OF PIN UP ISLAND.

I’m very glad that M didn’t disappoint me. It’s a well-directed, well-written, and well-acted film with incredibly utilized locations that fit organically into the whole. This isn’t a film where they picked the locations like: “Alright, we have a post-apocalyptic zombie film, let’s throw in some ruins and forests, whatever we can find!” In M, every shot fits perfectly and organically, and I can only commend the director and location scouts for having an eye for choosing the right locations for the film.

When it comes to the acting, the children actors portrayed their characters brilliantly, and it’s important to highlight that this isn’t a film that treats child characters with overprotection. I genuinely feared for them, including the main character, Marko, played by Matej Sivakov, and there’s no comforting assurance “they won’t harm him, he’s a kid”, typical of mainstream high-budget films. The adult actors are excellent too; I felt like I was watching a movie made by people who fully believed in what they were doing, which was confirmed by the director during the Q&A after the screening.

M is a post-apocalyptic horror drama/thriller, a study of growing up process in isolation and the desire for connection despite all the obstacles. The film also includes a clear critique of extremist isolationist political movements and capitalism. There’s an evident reference to current movements, but the film remains universal in its intent, which, in this case, is certainly not a flaw.

The characterization, especially of the adults, naviagtes in a gray area, without the typical “good guys” and “bad guys”. Even those who initially seem to want to help the remaining humans are portrayed as groups driven by extreme and twisted ideas of fighting and “helping”, while a few characters who initially seem extreme and weird in solutions to their problems, have glimpses of reason and logic within all the madness.

After one of the central harrowing scenes, the viewer (at least myself) become even more disgusted by these groups who are transformed into bringers of death, even more than the zombies who are a constant threat to our main characters. The children are not portrayed from the outset as untainted by the poison that adults pour into them. The children characters must develop their own defense mechanisms (sometimes under the pressure of the adults) to survive, which inevitably leads them toward growing up and coming to terms with evil and death.

At first glance, the ending felt somewhat out of sync with the film’s tone, but after some thought, I came to terms with it – I’d even say this ending is maybe (with emphasis on “maybe”) better than… well, I’ll avoid spoilers, see it for yourself.

None of this would have worked so well if the characters weren’t masterfully acted, if the direction weren’t precise and full of conviction and energy, and if the locations weren’t perfectly utilized.

After the film’s screening, there was a Q&A with the director, led by Jovan Ristić. Director Tozija proved to be a very interesting and pleasant person, whose heart is in the right place when it comes to his filmmaking and resisting the typical “victims for sale” festival films from the region. The only thing left is to wish him success in his upcoming projects!

Rating: 4+/5