Tu pa tam

I am a few years older to be defined as a target audience (16 - 24 years old) but I enjoyed watching this movie also. In my opinion "Tu pa tam" movie is a giant step for Slovene low-budged production, amateur authors (players, screenwriters and directors), young enthusiasts. A story is simple but well thought. Dialogues are funny and authentic. Some scenes and jokes are put in local environment. I do not know if they will work outside Slovenia. Yes, it is seen that movie makers as Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie had a great impact on director of this movie. The fact that "Tu pa tam" (made by young 24 years old director) reminds us of Ritchie's movies is not a bad thing but obvious showing of respect to this famous director.

Low budget film, made by a young Mitja Okorn, using friends as cast and crew. The actual plot of this film is secondary; this is a film about the friend dynamics of late teen/ early adults. Really well done. Oddly enough, I feel the best comparison to this movie would be the Canadian DIY film "Clerks." Lots of witty banter, clothing jokes, skateboarding, race dynamics. Really impressive for such a young director.

One thing I would like to point out, I was not born or raised in Slovenia, and when I watched the film I did not speak Slovene; that being said, the subtitles work REALLY well!!!!! So don't feel you will miss out on the humor if you do not speak Slovene.

The only downside of this film is that it is nearly impossible to find. I haven't searched Amazon, or ITunes recently, but I have never seen it available anywhere outside of Slovenia.

Slovenian cinematography has experienced a long period of quasi-artistic films which have been mostly boring. This has changed with Tu pa tam. It's a film for young people, full of humor and uncensored exposure of the present situation among common youth in a Slovenian town. Although it has been evaluated as "non-artistic", it has gained popularity which only few films had achieved in the past few years. It is amazing what a film-maker can do with practically no budget. Tu pa tam hit the spot - especially young people recognized in it what they really wanted: a film, made for young people by young people, and a film that does not wrap things into shiny paper but rather shows the relatively common situations in a funny and non-judgmental way.

given the unbelievable constraints placed on an independent filmmaker, i was rather impressed with this movie. Sure, the story is a little tired, but the acting wasn't that bad, and the shots/timing/lighting were exciting. The intro sequence was novel, a great icebreaker, and Okorn has a way of throwing visual curveballs every time the story would normally lose my attention. His style is just on the edge of being too much, but in this film at least, he stops short of that edge, and the shots stay fresh.

Does this movie fall short of its goals as being a "Slovenian film", or more, a new kind of Slovenian film? As an American, even if I could answer that, would you listen? The movie seems Slovenian to me, probably less so to a Slovene. But as western or Hollywood influences are visible in this movie, so are they visible in Slovenia and its culture. Is Okorn maybe just telling the truth that you are denying? I know a story doesn't have to read like Twain or Hawthorne to be "American", nor do they need to follow Preseren or Vodnik to be "Slovenian".

This movie was a first attempt by a young filmmaker, and as such it was more than enough for me to watch the next one.

I don't really care how long in took to make it nor how much this movie cost (but the low amount during a 4 year span is praise-worthy nonetheless), what "Tu Pa Tam" managed to do is come off looking rather professionally made (a term rarely found in the world of Slovenian production), and more importantly it successfully implemented some really cool shots, cinematography and editing to give it a distinct mark. The acting and the dialogues in the script are pretty natural (which is "extremely good" in our somewhat clumsy language) so definitely kudos and a big round of applause to Mitja Okorn & co. The movie, and the famous Slovenian actors & celebrities that were popping up here and there were also a really nice and unexpected touch.

This movie certainly won't make you into a Dalia-lama but if you're in the mood for a fast-paced crime action movie that successfully shows that influences such as Tarantino, Scorsese & Richie can be great influences...then definitely give it a go;)