HotDocs ’22: Museum of the Revolution

Directed by Srdan Keca, Museum of the Revolution introduces the world to Vera and Milica, a homeless mother and daughter who struggle to survive amongst the streets of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Fighting for their lives in an unforgiving city that chooses to ignore them, Vera and Milica search for support and community amongst the shadows. This is a world of capitalism gone wild, an irony considering that they once sought to celebrate their socialist past with a museum that would never be built.

Although it takes a simplistic approach, Museum of the Revolution has much grander ambitions with its message. Using the camera as a fly on the wall, Keca chooses to remove himself entirely from the film. There are no interviews to the camera and no statistics rolling across the screen. Instead, Revolution is meant to be a slice of life from the corners of society where few are willing to tread. Keca’s desire is for the viewer to watch and learn with humility as they are given a window into the lives of people that are frequently missed by the larger world.

As Revolution informs the viewer of the lost opportunity of its missing museum, there is a sense that this culture is willing to neglect the stories of its people. As Vera and Milica struggle to survive on the streets, Revolution recognizes that the stories of the seemingly insignificant. Strangely, one of the most powerful aspects of Revolution are people who are never focused upon. As Vera works tirelessly to make an income as a squeegee cleaner, the blurry visuals of passersby who are completely unaware of her situation move freely in the background. These individuals have their own lives and they show little regard for others. As they go about their busy lives, so to do families such as Vera live in darkness. In the same way that the museum has never been built, the stories of people like Vera and her family are never known. As such, Revolution seeks to draw attention to those who go unnoticed every day by shining a light on their experiences and attempting to offer some hope for those who have none..

Museum of the Revolution is available at HotDocs ’22. For screening information, click here.