Goodbye, 20th Century
Encyclopedia
Goodbye, 20th Century! is a 1998 Macedonian
film directed
by Darko Mitrevski
and Aleksandar Popovski
.
The second story is a three-minute segment that takes place in 1900. Presented as a record of the first wedding ceremony ever captured on film, the scene devolves into violence when it is discovered the newlyweds are actually brother and sister.
The third story takes place on New Year’s Eve 1999. A man dressed as Santa Claus
returns to his apartment building, where a wake
is in session. The solemn mourning degenerates into violence while the sounds of the Sid Vicious
punk rock
rendition of My Way
floods the proceedings.
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
, but was not among the five finalists to achieve the Oscar nomination.
The film had its U.S. premiere at 1999 Cinequest Film Festival
in San Jose, California
. The same year, it played in the first annual B-Movie Film Festival
in Syracuse, New York
, where it won awards for Best Editing and Best Set Design.
Goodbye, 20th Century! had a brief theatrical release later in 1999, where it received mixed reviews. Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety
, stated "the film's pacing is uneven, tone and intent often unclear, but the visually stylish Goodbye, 20th Century! is memorable for sheer idiosyncrasy alone." Robert Firsching, reviewing the film for the Amazing World of Cult Movies, praised the film as "an impressionistic howl of rage and despair from a country which has lived on the brink of war for years, a nightmare without beginning or end. One gets the feeling that it has driven everyone concerned a bit mad, and that is where Goodbye 20th Century! succeeds the most: without showing a single glimpse of actual Balkan fighting, it portrays the horror and insanity of the conflict in a way that a mere war film would be hard-pressed to achieve."
However, MaryAnn Johanson, writing for The Flick Filosopher, said the film "feels like it was made by a couple of precocious 13-year-old boys obsessed with incest
and bullets and splattering blood. This is strictly for those who like their science fiction
with a lot of style but very little substance." And James Berardinelli
, writing for Reel Views, complained that "Popovski and Mitrevski seem to relish making their movie as off-the-wall as possible, and, while the result may grant them satisfaction, it is likely to have the opposite effect on those who find themselves in a theater watching the final product."
Goodbye 20th Century! was released in the U.S. on VHS video, but to date there has been no DVD release.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
film directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Darko Mitrevski
Darko Mitrevski
Darko is a Macedonian film director. Since 2007 he lives in Los Angeles, CA.Darko's list of feature films includes "Light Gray", Goodbye, 20th Century! , Bal-Can-Can , and The Third Half , which is currently in post-production.He directed many music videos and documentaries as well, and his TV...
and Aleksandar Popovski
Aleksandar Popovski
Aleksandar Popovski is a striker currently playing for Skopje in the Macedonian First League.-External links:* at soccerway* at footballdatabase.eu...
.
Plot
Goodbye, 20th Century! consists of three stories of extreme violence and emotional despair. The first takes place in the year 2019, where the world has become an environment of apocalyptic wreckage and ruin. A man named Kuzman is sentenced to death by a nomadic tribe, but their attempts to fatally shoot the condemned man are a failure. Fated to live forever, Kuzman wanders the wasteland until he encounters an enigmatic figure who offers him information on how he can escape eternal life.The second story is a three-minute segment that takes place in 1900. Presented as a record of the first wedding ceremony ever captured on film, the scene devolves into violence when it is discovered the newlyweds are actually brother and sister.
The third story takes place on New Year’s Eve 1999. A man dressed as Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
returns to his apartment building, where a wake
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
is in session. The solemn mourning degenerates into violence while the sounds of the Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
rendition of My Way
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
floods the proceedings.
U.S. release
Goodbye, 20th Century! was Macedonia's submission to the 71st Academy Awards71st Academy Awards
The 71st Academy Awards ceremony, Sunday, March 21, 1999, was the last to take place at Los Angeles County Music Center, and was Whoopi Goldberg's third time hosting the Awards. It was the first time the ceremony took place on a Sunday....
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, but was not among the five finalists to achieve the Oscar nomination.
The film had its U.S. premiere at 1999 Cinequest Film Festival
Cinequest Film Festival
The Cinequest Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in San Jose, California. The festival highlights the work of new film makers....
in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. The same year, it played in the first annual B-Movie Film Festival
B-Movie Film Festival
The B-Movie Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Syracuse, United States.The festival was founded in 1999 by local filmmaker Ron Bonk to promote the art of B-movie making. It was canceled in its third year due to the effects of September 11 attacks...
in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, where it won awards for Best Editing and Best Set Design.
Goodbye, 20th Century! had a brief theatrical release later in 1999, where it received mixed reviews. Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, stated "the film's pacing is uneven, tone and intent often unclear, but the visually stylish Goodbye, 20th Century! is memorable for sheer idiosyncrasy alone." Robert Firsching, reviewing the film for the Amazing World of Cult Movies, praised the film as "an impressionistic howl of rage and despair from a country which has lived on the brink of war for years, a nightmare without beginning or end. One gets the feeling that it has driven everyone concerned a bit mad, and that is where Goodbye 20th Century! succeeds the most: without showing a single glimpse of actual Balkan fighting, it portrays the horror and insanity of the conflict in a way that a mere war film would be hard-pressed to achieve."
However, MaryAnn Johanson, writing for The Flick Filosopher, said the film "feels like it was made by a couple of precocious 13-year-old boys obsessed with incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
and bullets and splattering blood. This is strictly for those who like their science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
with a lot of style but very little substance." And James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
, writing for Reel Views, complained that "Popovski and Mitrevski seem to relish making their movie as off-the-wall as possible, and, while the result may grant them satisfaction, it is likely to have the opposite effect on those who find themselves in a theater watching the final product."
Goodbye 20th Century! was released in the U.S. on VHS video, but to date there has been no DVD release.
See also
- List of Macedonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film