Short documentary film by a young Montenegrin director Tamara Pavićević "This is not Kika" is not just a film about Kika, but about all those whom society and community easily reduce to various labels that they have attached to themselves, and who carry within themselves the same as everyone else - soul, emotion, individuality.
Premiered on Monday evening at the 16th edition of the UnderhillFest International Documentary Film Festival, in front of a large audience on the grounds of Njegošev Park in Podgorica, the short documentary told the story of a man from Zabjelo whom, seemingly, everyone knows, but, it seems, few do.
"Nobody knows." Svetozar Nikočević, but everyone has heard of Kiko. The tattooed, old bodybuilder seems like a walking threat. Arm circumference 55 centimeters, he repeats it with pride, comparing himself to Schwarzenegger, but 'without steroids'. Beneath the long beard and scarf lies a gentle giant. Knife scars on his chest, lost love, empty house. Legend or a man who doesn't know what to do with silence?, the synopsis reads...
In her film, the young director successfully deconstructs the myth of the urban legend from Zabjelo by portraying the man as he really is, who seems to stand behind the public facade. What at first glance seems to be a story about an atypical, eccentric bodybuilder slowly turns into a subtle and emotional story about personality, vulnerability, memory and the need for connection, about a person from the neighborhood, about an acquaintance about whom everyone has something to say, and based on which...
Thus, "This is not Kika" touchingly opens the question of identity and collective knowledge, ignorance, assessment, description, but also memory and interpersonal relationships... Kika is a symbol, but also an individual, Kika is a man, a person with muscles and scars, with ambition and a legacy, someone who longs for (lost) love, a person who is part of a community, but what kind of... His appearance: large, well-built, with a long beard, covered in tattoos, his famous arm circumference of 55 centimeters leaves the impression of some aggressive or even dangerous image, but Pavićević shows how all this can easily be deceiving...
The film also portrays Kiko as a witty, strong, interesting, atypical character, revealing that within him there is emotion, care, attention, and above all, a love for the community, a love for physical activity, but also an unrequited, old love of his.
Kiko invested in his "preparation", in the gym, but also in people, and thus became a favorite of many, the gym has been visited for years, practically packed, and he is surrounded by people. However, the layers and layers of the story also reveal a possible loneliness... Thus, the gym he built is now a place of gathering and discipline, and many of its members attended the premiere of the film the day before yesterday, some even found themselves in it. This place for exercise, discipline and training is at the same time a space in which Kika faces and overcomes numerous challenges, surrounded by people and everything he loves, often facing loneliness... Pavićević skillfully captures this ambiguity: between strength and vulnerability, myth and reality, silence and speech, crowds and solitude.
With her and Kika's film, she precisely balances between social commentary and personal story. She rejects the superficial image that she herself calls a caricature often present in media portrayals, and instead uses the camera to penetrate deeper, focusing on his gaze, words, silence, on the authentic accent, the narration, on Kika's spirit, energy, charisma, uniqueness and simplicity, on lightness and anxiety. The film is permeated with empathy, but not pathos; the author neither glorifies nor condemns him, but observes, listens and allows Kika's story to unfold at its own pace and according to its own wishes.
With this film, Pavićević gently explores and delves into the layers of society, neighborhoods, and individuals, asking the question of how much we actually know about people who seemingly everyone knows everything about, but few have met. These are not shadow people, but rather spotlights that draw others to them, but never close enough to the source of light. The film reminds us that every local “cult figure” hides much more than what we would first think of him/her, and that it is the responsibility of society, but most of all of artists, and even the media, to dive below the surface and present humanity in the right way.
The camera also contributes to all of this in this short film. Jane Vukovic which is calm and unobtrusive, leaving space for the character and atmosphere, while the editing Nede Zivanovic carefully builds a narrative assembled from segments of everyday life. The sound was handled by Balsa Pavicevic, Lado Raickovic i Eva Todorovska, which, without grand gestures, enrich the feeling of intimacy...
"This is Not Kika" was created as an exam film in the first year of her master's studies, produced by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje, and the young director emphasized that it was particularly significant to her that the premiere took place at Underhill - a festival she had followed since she was a high school student.
"I am extremely glad that my films are now at this festival, it is like a completed story. As for the film itself, it is the first documentary I have made, but it came in as the third, due to some post-production problems," she said, previously announcing the film, which was shot over seven days and whose post-production lasted almost four years.
When asked how she chose Nikočević as the protagonist, Pavićević previously explained that she had always known about him...
"Since I'm from Zabjelo, I've always known about him, I lived near his gym, and we from Zabjelo are simply a little more aware of him than the rest. There's a cult about him, a lot of people tell various stories, including how much he helped the youth of Zabjelo, took kids off the streets and put them on the right path... So I've always had a desire to make a film about him, which happened in the first year of my master's degree, with the help of my professors." Vlada Perović "who helped me a lot in that, and for which I am really grateful. As for Kika, I think we as artists have a responsibility to make films about such people. Although he is present in the media, it is more on a caricature level than on the honesty of him as a character," said Pavićević.
At the very end of the film, the audience greeted the young director and protagonist of Svetozar Nikočević, Kika, with loud applause...
The film "Blum" by director was screened in Njegošev Park later in the evening. Jasmile Žbanić, about which more will be written and said...
Bonus video:
