Directed by Miodrag Popović • 1968 • Yugoslavia

Renowned painter turned filmmaker Miodrag Popović made his indelible contribution to the Yugoslav Black Wave with this harsh but humanist take on the psychic scars of war. Two brothers, Isidor (Jovan Janićijević-Burduš) and Gvozden (Danilo ‘Bata’ Stojković), return to their devastated home village after the end of the Second World War with nothing to their name but their army-issue machine guns. There they find a traumatised German, abandoned in retreat. Together, the three men act out a tragicomic tale. The Tough Ones was censored on release and remains a bruisingly cynical but vital watch.

THE TOUGH ONES • DELIJE
Written and directed by Miodrag Popović
Cinematography by Aleksandr Petković
Music by Dorijan Setina
Starring: Ljerka Draženović, Jovan Janićijević-Burduš, Danilo ‘Bata’ Stojković

In Serbian with English subtitles