Nebesa (2021)

The screenplay for *Heavens* is based on the prose of Marcel Aymé (1902–1967) and combines black comedy with elements of fantasy. After half a century of communism and atheism, religion has returned. The film is a political satire that offers a deep analysis of human nature. It tells stories about the effects of miracles on post-communist society, divided into three chronological parts set in 1993, 2001, and 2026. The plot follows the intertwined fates of six main characters across three different periods. It is an unusual and provocative comedy about the challenges facing Christianity in the 21st century, and about how genuine, authentic miracles sent to people from heaven can confuse them today and often have the opposite effect. The heroes reappear in different stories and in new, more bizarre circumstances, where their fates become intertwined. In the first story, Stojan, a war refugee and former army officer, is given a halo by God. His wife Nada pushes him to sin, wanting to get rid of the gift and the unwanted attention from the neighbors. This good man finds it difficult to commit even the smallest sin. But, gradually, moving from lesser to greater sins, Stojan begins to enjoy himself for the first time in his life. He drives his family away and becomes a pimp, using his halo as a guarantee of his girls’ purity. In the second story, Gojko, a mentally disabled and deeply religious young man, is sentenced to death for multiple murders after he tries to steal a mobile phone. Gojko believes the phone provides a direct link to his favorite idol, Saint Petka. A few moments before his execution, the Lord turns Gojko into a newborn baby and resurrects the family he had killed. The fact that Gojko has become an innocent, sinless being does not stop the authorities from enforcing earthly laws. In the third story, Papić—a good but unrecognized artist—enters a fruitful period in his work. His paintings have incredible powers: they feed whoever looks at them. The government, headed by Stojan as the first haloed president in history, nationalizes the artist’s work, along with the artist himself. The film presents an unconventional perspective on the transition period in a post-communist country, treating this era as a turbulent transition from a pagan world to a Christian era, as happened many centuries ago. The appearance of miracles is a response by the collective consciousness to changes that force the whole community to adapt.