Po isti poti se ne vračaj (Don’t Come Back the Same Way). 1965. Yugoslavia. Directed by Jože Babič. Written by Branko Plesa and Giorgio Sestan. With Davor Antolic, Ljubisa Samardzic, Joze Zupan. In Slovenian and Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles. DCP. 90 min.
Seasonal workers from the south of Yugoslavia come to Slovenia looking for jobs and prosperity, but instead they encounter a harsh reality, rejected by the locals, fending off poverty, and struggling to survive. At the film’s heart is the shy but charismatic Abdul, played by the beloved Serbian actor Ljubiša Samardžić, who meets a girl and attempts to make a new beginning, despite the odds. The film invites us into a community of outsoiders who clash, make up, and grow with one another—and when all the chips are down, their struggle makes us understand the true meaning of hard work. Directed by gifted dramatist Jože Babič, Don’t Come Back the Same Way is a powerful exposé of a specific time and place, and casts a bright light on the significance of labor in a culture increasingly dominated by self-interest.