Čudna devojka (Strange Girl). 1962. Yugoslavia. Directed by Jovan Živanović. Written by Jug Grizelj and Grozdana Olujic. With Spela Rozin, Vojislac Miric, Zoran Radmilovic. In Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles. DCP. 103 min.
Jovan Živanović is a quintessential chronicler of modern life, a perceptive auteur who reconsiders tradition through a contemporary lens. Taking people as the starting point for all drama, Živanović gives us an up-close perspective on the origins, motivations, and sensibilities behind human relationships, while using a calm hand to bring out the very best in his actors. Arguably his greatest work, Strange Girl focuses on Minja, a young woman who moves to the capital to build a new life. While navigating the advances of several suitors and the attitudes of her new community, she gradually matures into a person who takes life fully into her own hands. Featuring the beautiful and magnetic Špela Rozin, a cultural icon and international diva of Italian sword-and-sandal films, Strange Girl is both a portrait of a woman and a first-hand look at a society in flux amid the swinging ’60s.