Bad Blue Boys

This short doc was one of the very best films I saw last week at Hot Docs. Beautifully shot, claustrophobic and menacing, an eye that hovers around a former soldier in Croatia as he struggles to readjust to a post-war life. He lives with his family, drives his motorbike, and shoots guns and rockets in the woods with his friends. We never really see his face or hear him speak. He takes his kids out for Christmas, he cooks chicken stew, he gets up in the middle of the night to take pills. Every day to day activity is charged with tension, disquiet, a violence that simmers right at the surface. It's directed by Branko Schmidt and the stunning cinematography is by Dragan Ruljancic.

The film takes it title from a group of football supporters, also called Bad Blue Boys, supporters of the Zagreb team NR Dinamo who were founded in 1986, inspired by a Sean Penn film, have a bulldog as their logo, and like to make their presence felt at football matches. Check out their myspace page here to listen to their anthem and learn how the war often starts with football.