Underplayed Gems

The Marathon Family (1982)

The Marathon Family poster
Original title
Маратонци трче почасни круг
Directed by
Slobodan Šijan
Genre
drama film, comedy film
Country
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia
Runtime
1h 32m
Rating
7.6 of 10 from 103 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A family of undertakers in a small town steals coffins from graves and sinks deeper into debt with a local gangster. After the family patriarch dies, the youngest son murders his unfaithful girlfriend, seizes control of the business, and triggers a violent confrontation with the gangster and the police.

darkly comictensebleakabsurdcynicalgrittygrotesquefast-pacedunsettling

What happens

The Marathon Family (Serbian: Маратонци трче почасни круг / Maratonci trče počasni krug, lit. Marathon Runners Do a Lap of Honour, or often simply Maratonci, lit. The Marathon Runners) is a 1982 Yugoslav black comedy film written by Dušan Kovačević and directed by Serbian director Slobodan Šijan. It has become a cult film in Serbia and other countries from the territory of the former Yugoslavia and is regarded as one of the classics of Yugoslav Serbian cinematography. The film depicts a family of undertakers with a dark secret. Instead of making coffins, they steal ones from graves in the cemetery. They are increasingly indebted to a local hoodlum for his services. Following the death of the head of the family, conflict begins between the family and the hoodlum. The youngest member of the family kills his cheating girlfriend in a jealous rage, and then claims the family's leadership for himself. His term in office starts with a brutal showdown with the hoodlum and a police chase. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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