THE BASICS OF KILLING / DRUZINICA

A high-school philosophy professor, Marko, and his chemical engineer wife, Dunja, lead an idyllic family life. They live in a spacious flat with two children, son Taras and daughter Mala. Taras is passionate about his judo trainings, while the charming Mala takes ballet classes. Their warm little community is full of love and understanding, which is also true of the couple’s sex life. But when an infatuated student accuses Marko of sexual harassment, he loses his job. Soon after, Dunja also gets laid off. The sudden loss of existential security causes strife between them.

"In the last ten years in Slovenia, many families have suffered misery, shame and impoverishment. I am still angry when I think of the law that was introduced in 2012. The government is now working on fixing it, but it says that a family in which both parents lose their jobs has no access to any kind of help, not even for food, if their salaries had been relatively OK two years prior. Many middle-class families collapsed because of this law.
But the real impulse for this film was deeply personal. When I was researching various cases of such families, at one point I realised what kind of personal tragedies this has led to, how children suffer and hide their pain, and I could not take it any more. I decided to make an appropriate, dignified homage to these people, and especially to the children, who often in these situations take over their parents' burden, and they fight, whatever the cost. At the same time, The Basics of Killing is a warning, because it can happen to anyone."

Jan Cvitkovič for Cineuropa.org