Representations of Nationalism, Organized Crime and State Violence in Rane and Lepa Sela Lepo Gore

Sammanfattning

This essay analyses Srđan Dragojević’s films about the Yugoslav wars Rane (1998)and Lepa Sela Lepo Gore (1996) and the way they depict nationalism, crime and state power as well as the interplay between these subjects. It tries to ascertain in what ways the films act to subvert dominant narratives around these subjects or act to reinforce them. It also builds an idea of what subversive representation of these topics actually entails. It does this through a close reading utilizing Marxist historiography and psychoanalysis while staying in dialogue with Oswaldo Zavada’s book Drug Cartels Do Not Exist. It will conclude that the films provide a subversive critique of crime, nationalism and state power while occasionally failing to do so and reinforcing the dominant narratives surrounding these topics. The essay also provides some ideas of what subversion of these narratives requires.