''Vegetarian Cannibal'' ( hr, Ljudožder vegetarijanac) is a 2012 Croatian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Branko Schmidt Branko Schmidt (born 21 September 1957) is a Croatian film director. His 2012 film ''Cannibal Vegetarian'' was selected as the Croatian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlis ...

. It was released on 1 March 2012 and stars

Rene Bitorajac Rene Bitorajac (; born 2 March 1972) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in a number of Croatian and Bosnian films since the 1980s. Most notably, he starred in the 2001 Academy Award-winning Bosnian film ''No Man's Land''. He is also known for st ...

as an immoral doctor.

Plot

Danko Babić (

) is highly successful and much sought after as a doctor of

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

, but at the same time he is also incredibly ambitious and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. These traits eventually lead him to Jedinko ( Emir Hadžihafizbegović), a pimp who specializes in high-end prostitution and drug dealing. He's willing to pay Danko a considerable sum to perform abortions on his prostitutes, who get pregnant on a regular basis. Danko quickly gets pulled into a world of organized crime, corruption, and scandal.

Cast

as Danko Babić *

Nataša Janjić Nataša Janjić-Medančić (born 27 November 1981) is a Croatian film, stage and television actress. Personal life Nataša Janjić was born in Split on 27 November 1981. As a child, she studied at the Youth Theatre in Split. After finishing schoo ...

as Nurse Lana *

Leon Lučev Leon Lučev (born 1970 in Šibenik) is a Croatian actor. He had his feature film debut in Vinko Brešan's 1996 comedy ''How the War Started on My Island''. Since then, he has amassed lead roles in numerous high-profile European films, including ' ...

as Ilija * Emir Hadžihafizbegović as Jedinko *

Zrinka Cvitešić Zrinka Cvitešić (born 18 July 1979) is a Croatian film, television and theatre actress. Biography The elder of two daughters, Zrinka Cvitešić was born in Karlovac, in the Karlovac County to Ivan and Višnja Cvitešić. Her mother played or ...

as Dr. Lovrić *

Daria Lorenci Daria Lorenci Flatz (; born 13 April 1976) is a Bosnian and Croatian television and film actress. She appeared in more than twenty feature films since 2000. She lives and works in Zagreb. Personal life Daria Saltagić was born in Sarajevo to a ...

as Dr. Miller * Ksenija Pajić as Dr. Domljan * Ozren Grabarić as Mario Filipović * Mustafa Nadarević as Pathologist Marelja *

Robert Ugrina Robert Ugrina (born 1974 in Zagreb) is a Croatian actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles in the popular comedy series ''Bumerang'' (2005-2006), '' Zakon!'' (2009) and '' Ko te šiša'' (2016-2020). He has appeared in '' Sleep Sweet, M ...

as Dr. Soldo *

Krešimir Mikić Krešimir Mikić (; born 17 April 1974) is a Croatian theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles in acclaimed feature films, including Zlatko in '' Sex, Drink and Bloodshed'', Krešo in '' I Love You'', Mirko in ''The Melon Route'', and Do ...

as Dr. Bantić * Rakan Rushaidat as Hassan Al Sadat *

Ljubomir Kerekeš Ljubomir Kerekeš (born 16 January 1960) is a Croatian film, theatre and television actor. Life and work Kerekeš began acting in 1980 in his hometown of Varaždin and between 1982 and 1996 was a member of the theatre ensemble at the Croatian Nat ...

as Professor Matić *

Zdenko Jelčić Zdenko Jelčić (born 8 August 1946) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in more than fifty films since 1972. Selected filmography References External links * 1946 births Living people Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina People fro ...

as Colonel *Slaven Knezović as Smoljo *

Ksenija Marinković Ksenija Marinković (born 18 April 1966) is a Croatian film, television and theatre actress. Biography Ksenija Marinković was born in Virovitica in 1966 where she finished high school. Ever since she was eight until entering the Academy of Dr ...

as Patient Švarc

Production

The film was based on the eponymous novel by Ivo Balenović, also known by the pen name "Alen Bović".

Reception

Film School Rejects Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006. The site was nominated for Best News Blog by ''Total Film'' magazine and na ...

'' was mixed in their review, praising Bitorajac's acting while commenting that the film's ending "will easily divide the audience". The ''

Austinist Gothamist LLC is the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage. It was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung. In March 2017, Joe Ricketts, ...

'' was more positive, stating "Yes, this movie is kind of a downer, but adventurous filmgoers will probably find Vegetarian Cannibal to be worth their time" The film was selected as the Croatian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2012 in film, films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist. Lead actor Bitorajac states that he views the character of Danko as the "most despicable character he has ever played" and that while he was initially leery of the script, he was satisfied after seeing the completed product.

Awards

Golden Arena for Best Actor Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

(

) at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won) *

Golden Arena for Best Director The Golden Arena for Best Director ''( Croatian: Zlatna arena za režiju'') is an award given for best director at the Pula Film Festival, which was until 1992 the Yugoslav equivalent of the Academy Awards. Since 1992 and the breakup of Yugosla ...

at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won) *

Golden Arena for Best Cinematography List of winners The following is a list of winners of the Golden Arena for Best Cinematography at the Pula Film Festival. Yugoslav competition (1955–1990) Croatian competition (1992–present) Notes :A. Although the festival was open ...

at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won) *Best Art Direction at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won) *Best Achievement in Make-Up at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won) *Kodak Award at the Pula Film Festival (2012, won)

References

External links

* {{Croatian submission for Academy Awards 2012 films 2012 drama films Croatian drama films 2010s Croatian-language films Films directed by Branko Schmidt Films based on Croatian novels Films about physicians