SYNOPSIS

“At ease” – feature-length movie – synopsis

The movie mainly takes place in Belgrade and the plot begins in 1999. Our main character Ilija has recently come back from the battle field. As a volunteer, he joined the army and participated in armed conflicts in SFRJ during the nineties. His wife Jovana welcomes him at home after the war. It’s clear that something bothers Ilija. After Jovana went to work in the morning, Ilija leaves her a letter on the desk and goes to visit his mother, sister, brother-in-law and their children who are in weekend-cottage. Jovana comes from work, sees the letter and finds out that Ilija was wounded in war and that he remained without testicales. They won’t be able to make love ever again and have children like they have planned. He also proposes to her to leave and protect her from his misery. Jovana awaits Ilija in tears and very angry, telling him that she loves him so much that she would never leave him and for no reason and that they will go through all that together.

A year later, their relationship is completely different. Ilija is seeing his war-friends quite often and they are all the time talking about their superior whom the authorities are looking for in order to extradite him to the Hague Tribunal. Ilija thinks that Jovana is hiding something from him. He starts to follow her and finds out that she’s having an affair. He tells Jovana that he knows about her lover and they start arguing and reproaching each other for many things. Their marriage falls apart and Ilija leaves her.

He moves to his deceased grandmother’s apartment to which his sister Sonja brings her lovers from time to time. Ilija provokes the fight in aikido club where he works. He gets fired from the work.  Ilija  stops going out and seeing his friends. His sister Sonja and her gloomy daughter Vera bring him food and take care of him. Ilija is so depressed that he barely speaks. His condition is getting worse day after day.

Six months later, Vera moves into Ilija’s home because she couldn’t stand her parents and brother anymore. Her arrival helps Ilija and he gets better. .........