''A Wonderful Night in Split'' () is a 2004 Croatian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Arsen Anton Ostojić and starring Dino Dvornik,

Marija Škaričić Marija Škaričić (born 6 August 1977) is a Croats, Croatian actress. Biography Marija Škaričić was born on August 6, 1977, in Split, Croatia, Split. She ended Primary and Secondary school in Split. As a high school student, she attended ...

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...

, and Mladen Vulić.

Plot

The film is set over the course of a

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

night in the Croatian port city of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, where it follows three parallel plots. The first plot line features a small-time drug dealer Nike (Mladen Vulić) and a young widow Marija (

Nives Ivanković Nives Ivanković (born 1 June 1967) is a Croatian actress. She is notable for her comedic TV roles as Miki in ''Nad lipom 35'' (2006–2009), Ajna Hećimić in ''Lud, zbunjen, normalan'' (2010–2011) and Nives Odak, Nives "Seke" Odak in ''Ruža ...

); the second plot line deals with a drug addict called Maja (

) who decides to have sex with a US Navy sailor called Franky (

) in exchange for some

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

; the third one shows a young couple, Luka and Anđela (Vicko Bilandžić and Ivana Roščić) who spend the night desperately looking for a place to celebrate the New Year by having their first sexual experience. The plots are connected through a drug dealer Crni (Marinko Prga), through Dino Dvornik's concert, where all of them pass through at some point, and through the omnipresent fireworks that dot the night sky over the course of the film.

Cast

* Mladen Vulić as Nike, drug dealer *

as Marija, young widow *

as Maja, drug addict *

as Franky, US Navy sailor stationed in

* as Luka, a young man * Ivana Roščić as Anđela, a young woman * Dino Dvornik as himself * Marinko Prga as Crni, drug dealer

Production

Ostojić had considered a role for Dino Dvornik ever since he started writing the screenplay, seeing him as a person who best embodies the spirit of the city of Split. Dvornik readily accepted the offer, taking keen interest in the story, and even gave several suggestions that made it into the film. Since the film was designed as a visual commentary of social problems that Split is well known for in Croatia, depicted here as always involving drugs and awkward relationships, the whole film was shot in black-and-white photography. The resulting effect is an atmosphere of anxiety and depression, set to contrast the colorful mood of open-air New Year celebrations in Split's main square.

Reception

The film won the Golden Arena awards for Best Cinematography (Mirko Pivčević) and Best Film Editing (Dubravko Slunjski) at the 2004

Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival () is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held in the summer, in July or Aug ...

, as well as the ''Birch'' award for best directing debut and the ''Oktavijan'' critics' choice award. The film's cinematographer, Mirko Pivčević, was nominated for the ''Golden Frog'' award at the Camerimage festival, the most renowned European festival dedicated to cinematography, and the film was also shown at the Sarajevo Film Festival as part of their regional program, where it won the Special Jury Prize, and Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress (Marija Škaričić). It has also earned the director, Arsen Ostojić, a nomination for the European Discovery of the Year at the

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...

, as well as the Best Feature Film award at the 2006 RiverRun International Film Festival.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20140714150340/http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20060126/kultura01.asp *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderful Night In Split 2004 films 2004 drama films 2000s Croatian-language films English-language Croatian films 2000s English-language films Croatian black-and-white films Croatian drama films 2004 directorial debut films 2004 multilingual films Croatian multilingual films Films scored by Mate Matišić