Lijepa večer, lijep dan (2024) – queer film LGBTQ+

Lijepa večer, lijep dan

2024 🎬 Director: Ivona Juka ⏱️ Duration: 137 minutes (2h 17m
Cast: 🎭 Main Cast: Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Dado Ćosić, Slaven Došlo, Đorđe Galić, Elmir Krivalić
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⭐ IMDb Rating: 7 / 10
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🎬 Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day is the brutal collision between idealistic freedom and totalitarian control. The story follows four friends—former Partisans turned renowned filmmakers—who fought for a socialist future only to find themselves hunted by the very state they helped build. Because they are homosexual, they are viewed as a threat to "public morality." The film introduces Emir, a loyal party operative sent to sabotage their lives, whose own convictions begin to crumble as he witnesses their resilience and artistic integrity.

The atmosphere is intense, visceral, and hauntingly beautiful. Shot in stark black and white, it creates a sense of "historical noir" that mirrors the grey morality of the era. The viewer feels a heavy sense of claustrophobia and paranoia, as every touch and every whispered conversation could lead to betrayal. It is a story about the high cost of authenticity and the ghostly silence of a generation forced to hide their love. Emotionally, it is a gut-wrenching tribute to those who dared to remain artists and lovers in a world of facades and cowardice, leaving the audience with a profound reflection on the enduring struggle for personal liberty.

Did you know? (Czy wiesz, że...)
Oscar Contender: The film was selected as Croatia's official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards (2025).

International Triumph: It had its international premiere at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco (the world's oldest and largest LGBTQ+ film festival), where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

Controversy and Censorship: Director Ivona Juka publicly accused national film bodies of attempting to censor the film due to its sensitive LGBT themes, turning the movie into a real-world symbol of the very resistance it portrays on screen.

Master of Style: To capture the 1950s aesthetic, the film utilizes a specific visual language—raw, high-contrast cinematography that includes startlingly intimate and sometimes difficult-to-watch scenes of both passion and political torture.

Canada Croatia
Polish

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