The Black Pin Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
Why Watch The Black Pin?
- If you like films set in quaint rural villages
- To see how gentrification affects small rural towns around the world
- For classic friendly dry humor
From: Montenegro, Europe Watch: Trailer, IMDb Next: Underground, The Flying Circus, Cosy Dens
A Quaint Rural Town Setting
It’s clear from the opening just how rustic the small Montenegrin village in The Black Pin is. The very first scene is like a still life landscape shot. The camera overlooks a stone patio enclosed by a stone wall with plants and vines growing up it. Behind the wall, there’s a view of a valley with hills, trees, and grasses. It’s complemented by the sounds of chickens, the only moving things in the shot, until a man enters and starts talking to an elderly woman that blends into the scenery. It’s clear from the opening shot that this town is far from the modern world, much like the isolated valley hamlet in Lebanon’s Yara or Moldova’s Anishoara. But it’s beauty isn’t completely unknown.
Gentrification around the world
Despite it’s distance from the city, the small village is not immune to the encroaches of gentrification. A foreign developer has scouted the beautiful location and offered a great price to everyone who owns land in the region to sell their land so they can build a fancy resort. However, they’ll only buy if everyone in the town agrees to it, so they’ve enlisted the support of an influential local to drum up support.
However, not everyone wants to sell. The single, middle aged local priest seems to feel attached to his dying mother’s quaint home and the memories that come with it which he knows will disappear if he agrees to sell. The picturesque stone built homes that feature in the opening scene will fade just like the older generation. They’ll be swapped for a characterless resort filled with seasonal residents.
Classic Dry Humor
By taking a stance, the priest faces a lot of opposition. He’s opposed by the village’s residents – which feels like all of them as there’s only a handful of people living there, and he’s opposed by the church, who are disappointed by his dwindling attendance numbers (because of his disagreements with the locals). However, instead of ignoring them, he keeps interactions regular with a lot of dry humor. For example, despite being a priest, he debunks religious superstitions and downplays the afterlife to his congregation. He also challenges the local macho men with words, and even shows up at their houses and gets drunk with them despite their arguments.
The dry humor, in this way, is the one thing the village bonds over with the priest. The back and forth banter between the residents makes them look like a big family with the priest acting as the brother that has chosen a different path. Despite their differences and arguments, their banter and dry humor covers their respect for each other.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking for more dry humor from Eastern Europe, you’re in luck, there’s a lot. First try some films from one of Serbia’s finest, Emir Kusturica, such as Underground and Life is a Miracle. Then you could try both Cosy Dens from Czech Republic or The Flying Circus from Albania.
You could also try some dry Italian humor such as Lina Wertmuller’s Swept Away or Divorce Italian Style.
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