Acting
"The Written Off" is a famous Serbian TV miniseries, that was very popular in former Yugoslavia, originally airing in 1974. Due to its popularity, Radio Television of Serbia has shown reruns of the series ten times, the last re-run starting in 2012. The series has achieved something of a cult status among its audience and still attracts an estimated 3 million viewers with its last rerun. Idea of series derives from exploits of freedom fighters in Belgrade during World War II, and all the characters and events are fictitious.
The story follows a ten-year period before WW2 in a fictional town of Gradina, Serbia and its residents, which went through the turbulent events like the Great Depression and the rise of fascism. But the most important segment of the story revolves around rivalry between two city's football clubs - Radnicki and Gradjanski.
Radomir Belacevic, an artist and a scientist, is last seen on July the 9th in front of his private company "Studio film" in Dr. Aleksandar Kostic Street. The author of more than 20 novels, competent and scientific books, has vanished in the prime of the preparations for making his first movie. The relatives and friends of Mr. Belacevic were unable to help the members of city police because they don't have any information about sudden and mysterious disappearance.
The story of two brothers of different orientation and fate. The drama takes place in an atmosphere of tension and fear, during the conflict of Yugoslav Communist Party with the Stalinism, during the Cominform. Older brother Dragoslav, a returnee from Russia, was unjustly accused of being a Russian spy and subsequently arrested. Younger brother Kosta is not interested in politics, but he's attracted by a brother's wife Vera and underworld mafia. In the end, it turns out that a young woman belongs to the Soviet spy agency.
Unsatisfied with her looks and lack of sexual experience, a girl nicknamed Tomboy decides to subject herself under nose surgery. Her best friend begins to observe her from different point of view.
An imposter and thief called Dumpling escapes prison and arrives to a respectable institute of doctor Strukl in Balm Sanatorium. The doctor is a specialist for reduction and gaining of weight, and wanted by many celebrities, especially because it is known that he has specialized in Switzerland. Dumpling, discovering that he is physically similar to doctor, and seeing his big chance in it, disables the doctor and takes his place at the sanatorium.
The Odyssey of director Radomir Belacevic who leaves his native village on his faithful horse named Knight and sets out to the capital trying to put his drama on the National Theatre's program, allegedly backed by foreign investors, too. Seduced by flashy lights of the city and beauty of metropolitan women, his Don Quixotean mission takes a different route and he becomes a modern Ulysses who forgets his roots and assimilates with the urban jungle.
