7½: A Film of Seven Mortal Sins

These seven stories from “the hood” are connected by the light-motif about seven deadly sins and tell a comical story about the everyday life of residents of New Belgrade, possessed by their petty weaknesses and driven by their desires. Nothing that is human is foreign to them and they do not shy away from crossing the boundaries of morality, seeing that every one has their own unique conception of morality.

Still, the story about seven deadly sins is not a moralizing one: it reveals that beside sins and mistakes there is a moment of cleansing and catharsis for the heroes. Their lives are not sinful in the Christian sense of the word – their weaknesses are certainly a consequence of the times that we live in and they reflect the feeling of purposelessness that permeates this age.

Pride, Sloth, Envy, Rage, Greed, Lust and Gluttony are mortal sins, but in these modern times they become nearly absurd when set in the context of much worse and much bigger problems that our civilization is facing.

That is why this story constantly encourages laughter: to master one’s fears and problems, to laugh at oneself, to show self-irony – all these are the ways to overcome one’s grief. The heroes grieve that they lack so little, yet quite enough in order to be happy. These lifelike and sincere characters are not at all spared by the screenwriter, but they still get their opportunity for redemption and revelation.