“Young and Healthy as a Rose” – Banned Film

The film directed by Jovan Jovanović belongs to the works of the Black Wave. It was filmed in 1971 and depicts the early days of the relationship between the Yugoslav state security and criminals. Almost the entire film was shot with a handheld camera, which creates a sense of documentary style and intensifies the drama.

Young delinquent Stevan – Stiv is involved in “borrowing” (the official term for theft) cars and exploiting girls. Soon, he also starts killing people. Money keeps flowing in, but then he encounters a police inspector who offers him collaboration… Soon, he becomes one of the bosses of the Belgrade underworld and a media star. He behaves arrogantly, shoots around the city, and lives in a hotel… The roles were played by Dragan Nikolić, Aleksandar Gavrić, Marija Baksa, Danilo Bata Stojković…

After filming, the movie was shown only twice: at the Pula Film Festival and at SKC in Belgrade, after which it disappeared without a trace, although it was never officially banned. The first public screening of the film took place 35 years after it was made, as part of FEST in 2006.