The Slavic film Surviving Earth, written and directed by Thea Gajić and featuring Belgrade actor Slavko Sobin, premiered at SXSW to critical acclaim. It’s captivating dramatization biopic unravels the life of an addict and how the fallout effects loved ones on all levels. It takes place in Bristol, England, where the main character lives, having emigrated after leaving the horrors of war in the former Yugoslavia.
Slavko, an addict in real life who took his life when the going got too tough plays Thea’s father, Vlad. Slavko played the role with aplomb and musical integrity. He learned the harmonica within months and mastered it for the film. (He is a violinist, so learning another instrument was not that difficult, I guess?).
At the show, I had a few moments to speak with Thea and share sorrowful personal stories. My mother’s alcoholism and my brother’s overdose were tragedies. Although these events happened over a decade ago, I still feel the wastefulness of lives chosen to be taken over by external forces. Thea, still grieving, was courageous to speak with the audience and answer questions after the film. Especially since the death of her father is fresh.
“Whenever I spoke of my father, and the incredible journey of his life, one filled with hardship and triumph, it captivated people. Tut to me, he was simply Dad, and our relationship felt completely normal. Eventually, I realized the importance of sharing his story with a wider audience and delving into various themes to humanize individuals like him. We wanted to open the first scene with him and the things that I that he is most passionate about: his music and family.”
Locating Slavko, who played the intense character of Vlad, proved challenging. “Finding someone with Vlad’s natural charm, his remarkable forgiveness, and his strength were incredibly difficult. Slavko’s charm was clear in his uninhibited laughter and he learned to play harmonica.”
I loved how the director took a macro and micro view. Three things stood out to me. The coffee cups on the table, the dust on the turntable, and the angle of Vlad’s eye on the bed. I asked Thea about her view in terms of this macro micro.
“I’m a very observant person. I look at rooms and things and details. I guess this is my father’s character too, but also what I’m interested in visually. As to his eye, Olan, my wonderful DP and I decided very early on to use a long lens so that we could be up close and personal with him through a lot of the film to fill in the frame.”
I’m really interested in the personal aspect of the story and it would be nice to hear about your process in terms of preparation,
“I experienced a peculiar event while preparing for this”, admits Thea. “Actors often harbor significant vanity regarding their on-screen persona and the film’s overall aesthetic impact on their image. Our collective decision to subdue personal egos during production was evident on screen”
My next query pertained to Vlad, who held an outsized presence in both his own life and his daughter’s. “Thea, could you clarify your intention regarding the audience’s emotional engagement with both the daughter and the father?”
She answered, “Determining the narrative perspective and the central storyline presented a significant challenge, particularly in the early stages of the writing process. Initially, there were differing viewpoints, but I ultimately focused on Vlad’s narrative because of its inherent interest. I lacked interest in mine. The film serves as a biographical account of his life. Through its character Maria (Vlad’s daughter, me), the film beautifully embodies the theme of leaving a legacy. The generational legacy of art, language, culture, and love deserves acknowledgment.”
The film focuses on Vlad’s internal conflicts and I wondered if it was a decision on her part? He generates bad things, and I was curious if in his life he thought about it that way while living.
“The point of the title is that we all survive on earth and it’s an accumulation of a hundred things that mean something to us. He got kicked out of his house, for example, that might not be a massive event to some people, but if he doesn’t have money and he can’t afford to pay for necessities. What effect will that have on him? He’s fucked up things with his daughter. From his perspective, and I can only imagine it, he didn’t want his life to be such a heavy spiral. So he takes a drink to deal with something and then another. Or his temper is out of control and he reacts negatively to situations that don’t meet his expectations. He needs to get through one night at a time.”
Thea didn’t want it to feel like a heavy addict’s story, but it indeed that is what it was. She wanted the audience to feel that it could happen to anyone and because we all know someone who has struggled with addiction.
Yet as a character in the film, Maria stifled a lot of her emotions and I’m sure in life being the daughter of an addict she did the same. Was there a hidden message behind that stifling and the swallowing of her emotions? I queried.
“Yeah, I didn’t write a hidden message, but I guess the weight of things that aren’t spoken about can damage to all parties. You know, he can’t. He feels like he can’t burden her with his reality and she doesn’t know how to speak about it to him because he hasn’t allowed for that line of communication. And so, I think the damage is the lack of safety. If we could speak about these things freely and therefore save more lives of our own and others.”