Matija Gluščević
Uptight Ass
SAVO is a self-centered 42-year-old primary-school history teacher who has buried all his love and vulnerability deep down his own “arse” but will soon have to confront the coming death of his father.
SYNOPSIS
SAVO, a middle-aged history teacher in Belgrade, is uptight and rude because he believes he is self-sufficient. During a visit to his parents in his small hometown, Savo displays impatience towards his father, whose illness and weakness irritate him. He spends time on a video chat site with anonymous men during which his father catches him sucking his own penis. Next day he helps out with the family’s Saint feast and avoids discussing his ex-boyfriend RASTKO. His mother suggests that Savo move back and assume the role of the head of the family. Certain that his father saw him last night, Savo is irritated by the lack of reaction from him. Back in Belgrade, Savo encounters a genderless person in his apartment who oddly resembles him but mysteriously disappears before the police arrive. Next day, after a classroom incident, Savo gets into a physical conflict with the student's mother, from which he emerges defeated. Humiliated, Savo vents his anger on the student by publicly humiliating him. In his hometown for Christmas, Savo discovers that his parents are missing. He becomes aggressive and demolishes the family house. Upon spotting a genderless figure, Savo follows it down the hallway and vanishes into the darkness. Flashback. Savo and Rastko (his boyfriend) celebrate Christmas Eve at Savo’s family home with his parents. Savo appears content and happy, unlike his present-day self, but his mood suddenly shifts during the dinner. He leaves for solitude. Outside, he gets lost in a blizzard, only to be carried away by a mysterious, genderless figure. Savo's father is in a coma. During a hospital visit, Savo performs an act of castration by covering his and his father's genitalia with duct tape, imitating the genderless person from his 'dream'. Only then, accepting his non-masculine side, is he able to say goodbye to his father.
DIRECTOR/WRITER
Matija Gluščević
CO-WRITER
Dušan Zorić
PRODUCERS
Čarna Vučinić
Tena Gojić
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Naked
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
Dinaridi Film
COUNTRIES
Serbia
Croatia
Matija Gluščević
MATIJA GLUŠČEVIĆ studied Film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. His films have been selected at a great number of international festivals, winning several awards. His short documentary UTOPIA (2016) was screened at the Pula Film Festival (Croatia) and the Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival. His short fiction film LOOP (2017) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. He co-directed the feature fiction film HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? (2022) together with Dušan Zorić. The film had its world premiere at the International Critics’ Week of the 79th Venice Film Festival. After its premiere, the film was invited to the New Directors/New Films festival in NYC, the International Film Festival of India - Goa, the Bangkok World Film Festival, Belfort, and the Sarajevo Film Festival, among many others. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? (2022) went on to win a number of international awards, including Best Film in Geneva and Belgrade and Best Directing in Bangkok. It was named Best Serbian Film of the Year by the Serbian branch of FIPRESCI and the Association of Serbian Film Festivals. UPTIGHT ASS is his sophomore feature project and his debut as a solo director.
A feeling of anxiety haunts me whenever I visit my hometown. Despite having an increasing need to prove my love to my parents, I find myself becoming more withdrawn and angrier with them. Even after my dad became ill, I failed to properly articulate my feelings. I seek to explore one’s masculinity and identity through the family relations, the father/son relationship, and the role of “the head of the family” that SAVO is expected to assume. I imagine this film to be formally, narratively, and visually eclectic, enriched with Camp style. For instance, the exaggerated sexualization of masculinity in depictions of some characters (priest and policemen), choosing unusual camera angles and positions (like extremely high or low angles, a camera crawling along the actor's body...), portraying the Christmas atmosphere and snow in the romanticized way inspired by American cinema, deliberately unesthetic shots (imperfect composition, lighting that sometimes reveals or conceals more than it should, imperfect camera movements). By doing so, the film will relocate into a liminal space inhabited by its main protagonist. At the end of the film, I would like to break the film illusion. I would appear myself in the final shot of the film by swapping with the main character as his stand-in. With this, I want to emphasize how personal this film is to me. It's also a self-provocation because I want to expose my own internalized homophobia, sexism, selfishness, and aggression. Fearing direct conversation, I use film as a mediator for emotional catharsis. Through Savo, I want to take a deep plunge up my own “arse”, where I’ve buried my love and vulnerability in order to be able to take the path of accepting my non-masculine side.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Čarna Vučinić
ČARNA VUČINIĆ produced several critically acclaimed short films: LOVE (2017), FOREIGN BODY (2018), and THE GHOSTS YOU DRAW ON MY BACK (2023). She produced the feature film HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? (2022), which had its world premiere at the International Critics’ Week of the 79th Venice Film Festival. She is an EFA member, a Sarajevo Talents alumna, and a participant of the EAVE Producers Workshop 2024 and Talent Project Market of the Berlinale 2024.
Production company profile
NAKED was founded by producer Čarna Vučinić, together with the directors Dušan Zorić and Matija Gluščević, who have previously collaborated on their debut feature HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? (2022), which had its world premiere at International Critics’ Week of the Venice Film Festival. NAKED produced critically acclaimed shorts: UTOPIA (2016), LOOP (2017), LOVE (2017), and FOREIGN BODY (2018). The company is currently developing three feature films and is in production of two feature documentaries and a short film.
Where are we at?
TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET
1.188.000 €
FINANCES PENDING
1.160.000 €
FINANCING IN PLACE
28.000 €
Production timeline
END OF 2024
Financing and funding
JANUARY 2026
Principal photography