Interview with Director Nebojša Slijepčević on 'The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent'

Directed and written by Nebojša Slijepčević, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent had an excellent festival season, winning two prestigious Oscar qualifying awards: the Palm d’Or for Best Short Film at Cannes and the City of Melbourne Grand Prix at MIFF and earning a place on the shortlist of 15 Live Action Shorts in the running for the Oscar.

Taking place solely on a train, this 13 minute historical drama recalls the events of the 1993 Strpci massacre where 24 Bozniak Muslims were removed from a train by a Serbian paramilitary group, eventually to be tortured and killed. This short takes a small snapshot of this story and the man who dared to stand up against these forces. 

What I love most about this short is the perspective of which the story is told. Anchored by a believable screenplay of how these events would have occurred, you follow a passenger named Dragan. It is easy to assume at first that this protagonist is the titular man who could not remain silent. But as we go on, we see he is not the hero of the story, nor is he the victim or aggressor. He is an everyday citizen on the train who, although well intentioned, is an observer of the situation. This very much allows the audience to identify with the character, as we are helpless but to observe the unjust events unfold. 

The camerawork by Gregor Bozic is impressive as it navigates tight train hallways and confined seating compartments. Natural lighting is carefully used right from the beginning of the short from the flashes of light on Dragan’s face, to the train hallways flooded with light from the windows, to the drawing back of curtains in the compartment creating a dimming effect, as a passenger named Milan tells Dragan he has no ID papers. 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is a powerful portrait of a true hero. Tomo Buzov was the only non-Bozniak passenger taken on the train that day and was on his way to visit his son Darko in Montenegro. As a retired officer of the Yugoslav People’s Army he tried to use his privilege to stand up against what he knew was wrong. This short does justice to his memory as a courageous hero who stood up against xenophobia, an act that would devastatingly cost him his life, gone too soon from this world at the still young age of 53. 

In the final moments of this short the camera focuses on Dragan, full of contemplation as the train pulls away. You can see on his face that he is taking in the situation that just happened. Should I have said more? Should I have done more? Questions that I am sure were swirling around in his mind. It’s a moment that allows the audience to relate and be alongside Dragan as we ask ourselves what would have we done in this situation?

Interview by: Pedro Lima

Review by: Brandon MacMurray