Search - Tito and Me on DVD

Amusing, but a little inaccurate

Edward Bosnar | 10/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a generally amusing film, and the chubby little boy who plays the main character, Zoran, is very endearing. The movie centers around Zoran's misadventures as he tries to win the heart of the girl he has a crush on, which involves, among other things, writing a glowing paean to Yugoslavia's then president Tito as part of a school contest. His problems only get bigger after he wins the contest. The back-drop to all of this is Zoran's somewhat troubled family life, as he, his mother and father are cramped into an apartment together with relatives - which was a common aspect of Yugoslav urban life in the early 1950s when the country was being industrialized and people moved to the cities. The government often forcefully appropriated parts of larger houses or apartments and sometimes moved complete strangers in. However, one aspect of this movie is a bit dishonest: most of the adults in the film, except for Zoran's over-zealous schoolteacher, tend to be seasoned anti-Titoists. It seems a bit unrealistic to me to show people disparaging Tito during the early 1950s in the way he was criticized during the 1980s (after his death). The fact was that in the first few decades after World War II, Tito was very popular among all Yugoslavs, Serbs included. Thus, I'd say watch this film because it is funny and rather cute, but not to get an accurate picture of Belgrade's political climate in the 1950s."

Comedy, absurdity, and the idolization of heroes

michelle | Chicago | 12/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a political comedy by the director Goran Markovic, and is set in Belgrade, circa 1954. The film's lead character is an overweight ten year-old boy named Zoran who has a bizarre, fairytale-like obsession with the communist ruler of Yugoslavia, Tito. Zoran finds his chance to show both his love of this leader and to impress his crush in an essay contest (the topic: "Do You Love Comrade Tito and Why?") that not only allows Zoran to go on a march to meet Tito, but also to do so alongside Jasna, his crush. It is on this march that Zoran begins to lose faith in the ideals, as his pseudo- Boy Scout leader finds him to be annoying andrather stupid. In the end, Zoran is forced to face the disappointing truth that heroes are often not much more than self-constructed icons.Markovic offers a clever commentary on the utter absurdity of the communist system through the eyes of a child, whose reflection and understanding of reality reveal the ridiculousness of the political system (it is hinted that one man has been a victim of the political purges, while aloud, it is said he is arrested) and the elevation of Tito. At times, the script was a little dry, but overall, an interesting film about this time in Yugoslavia's history, and worth the watch."

A Delightful Comic Treatment of Life under Communism

S. B. Anderson | 12/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Tito i Ja" is the tale of Zoran, a young Serbian boy of the 50s who idolizes Yugoslavia's president and longs for the love of his schoolmate Jasna. A poem in honor of Tito earns our hero Zoran a place, with his beloved, in a Young Pioneer (Communist Scouts) hiking trip through Tito's Croatian homeland. The adventures which follow demonstrate Communism's evil attmept to place one citizen against another and the ability of the human spriit to overcome it. "Tito i Ja" is a rare film, a comic gem with an enduring message about a system which ruled one third of the world and from which the world has not yet recovered. I would recommend it without reservation."

A Delight To Watch

S. B. Anderson | USA | 04/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Tito And Me" is a delightful, funny and educational film about young Zoran, the main character in the movie, who is growing up in 1950s Yugoslavia. Recovering from WWII and under a strain from breaking up with Stalin, the times were hard in Yugoslavia, but its leader, Josip Broz Tito was exceptionally popular and much loved. Starting in the 1950s, and each year afterwards, Yugoslavian Socialist Pioneers and Youths competed for the top spot in a competition of knowledge about Yugoslavian Revolution, Tito, and WWII. Young Zoran entered the competition for one reason only - to be close to a girl he thinks he loves.

"Tito And Me" portrays 1950s Yugoslavia almost to perfection (apart from apparent hostility of some characters towards Tito - this was strange as Tito was very much loved at that time). Sprinkled with documentary footage of Tito, the movie gives a feel of true experience, that only first hand observers could have achieved.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to know more about what Yugoslavia was about after WWII and for the duration of Tito's rule (which ended in 1980). Some of the humor loses out in the translation, but most of the film is easily understood, even with subtitles."