On the edge of adulthood, Alma leaves her mother’s home in the Netherlands and travels to her native Bosnia to visit the father she’s never met. But from the start, nothing goes as planned.
From the get-go, Ena Sendijarevic’s debut feature film grips us in silence. A mother shopping for a new dress for her daughter feels mundane, but the perfectly level square frame and easter egg color palette promise much more to come. “Take Me Somewhere Nice” revives the coming-of-age-road-trip blend with a somewhat meandering tone. Its lilting rhythm dabbles back and forth between slightly comic and faintly tragic. This middle road, while fairly demure, gives us plenty of subtext to read the film with and find a vibrant inner life to match its pastel hue. Ena Sendijarevic’s “Take Me Somewhere Nice” delivers us a healthy dose of half-serious coming-of-age centered around one girl’s experience traveling penniless across Bosnia.
Sara Luna Zoric plays Alma, a devil-may-care teenager who travels to Bosnia from the Netherlands to visit an ailing father she never knew. Her cousin, Emir (Ernad Prnjavorac), refuses to deliver her to the hospital and her own stubborn streak prompts her to take a road trip, bouncing from one disaster after another, only for her laissez-faire approach to be rewarded time and time again. Emir and his “intern” Denis (Lazar Dragojevic) catch up with her and the three set out to rescue Alma’s lost luggage and finally meet her father.
The film unspools at a leisurely pace and scenes come and go with the same unhurriedness as its protagonist. Alma’s adventures never feel like true hills and valleys. The slow speed diminishes its more alarming story beats while enhancing the juvenile sentiment. Alma languishes in apartment bedrooms, poolside, in a mall, and onwards throughout the course of the film. Even her good-for-nothing cousin seems determined to bring the plot to a crashing halt.
Despite its lengthy feel, the film entices viewers with a mixture of perfect framing and pastel colors. Shot in a classic academy ratio, the camera fills the frame with off-centered action. At once it’s discomforting and artful. It creates a sense of unease as much as beauty. Similarly, each frame comes easy on the eyes with sherbet purples, limes, and orange clothing. Whether it’s the wall decorations, items of clothing, or the beautiful countryside everything looks beautiful. So while the film unfolds slowly there’s plenty to watch.
Sara Luna holds the entire film together with her performance. Her character can come across as obtuse since she mimics her surroundings. She seems truly unflappable, so her growth has to be interpreted through subtext. Lazar Dragojevic and Ernad Prnjavorac mesh alongside her offering different flavors to compliment her performance.
The whole thing feels like a more stoic “Y Tu Mama Tambien” as far as sexually charged coming-of-age road trips go. Its slow crawl takes away from some of its potency but the beauty of every image makes it hard to take your eyes away. The film gains serious momentum when the world finally breaks and we witness our protagonist truly feel something. That single moment elevates the movie above regular doldrums and artful silence. As a calling card goes, it’s more beautiful pictures than thorough plotting, but the vibes gained carry some sense of weight. There’s a story to track and profound depth to this film, but sometimes it misses the mark with a hard-to-read central protagonist.
In Theaters and Virtual Cinemas Nationwide June 11th
