The ancient archaeological site of Vinča on the outskirts of Serbia’s capital Belgrade may well be hailed in history books as the cradle of European neolithic culture, but in recent years it has become better known as one of the largest landfill sites in Europe.
This unpleasantly toxic environment, brimming with waste and unsettled by regular fires, is also the workplace for an oddball community of plastic bottle collectors – or Bottlemen – who struggle to make a living by collecting empty bottles that they re-sell by the lorryload. Nemanja Vojinović’s absorbing and visceral film follows the last days of this strange community before their jobs become obsolete, focussing in the main on the struggle of genial former boxer, Yani ‘Yanika’ Boc, to be group leader of the Bottlemen while operating within a deeply chaotic system.
According to archaeologist Miroslav K, “the ancient city of Vinča was the Frankfurt airport of the Stone Age,” but these historical antecedents are somewhat outweighed by the fact that some 50 years ago a garbage site was built next to the archaeological remains of the Vinča civilisation, and today the area is one of the largest unsanitary landfills in the world.
As the film opens, we see teams struggling to put out the landfill fires, with the Bottlemen awaiting the arrival of new garbage trucks. When they eventually arrive, the teams rush to scoop out the plastic bottles from the bags of trash. As Yani explains, “a leader needs to be as strong as Schwarzenegger,” but he also takes the time to gently explain to a new arrival where to stand and how to keep his distance from bulldozers and other large trucks.
Many of the team share a ramshackle house where they eat, peruse their phones and discuss mundane matters. Against this backdrop, the radio delivers news about a new waste management facility in Vinča that is expected the following year. A partnership with French and Japanese companies, the plan is to “remediate the landfill site and build a facility for bio-gas.” The broadcast adds that “EU standards will be implemented” and that an “environmental protection key” will be issued. But Yani needs to pay his alimony and worries about debt and prison.
The second half of the film – titled ‘Hungry Wolves’ – dwells on the bickering within the team and worries surrounding rival gangs of Bottlemen. Yani has arguments about loyalty among his men, stressing that he is not afraid of any rival teams. Challenger Slavisa says: “Being a group leader is like driving a VW Golf 3…it’s a fast ride, but it costs a lot.” The footage of the men working on the site is cut alongside footage of seagulls scavenging for food, offering visual clues about the frantic and fickle nature of the men’s work.
Yani tells his boss he no longer wants to be a group leader and after an argument is told he is suspended for six months. He ends up staying with his parents on their broken-down smallholding where he also spends time with his children, but six months later he is back at the landfill, where fires are once again raging and the area is now covered with acrid smoke. As the fumes billow, the Bottlemen still try and fill their sacks with plastic bottles.
The Council announces modernisation is due to start soon and surveyors arrive on site. The Bottlemen are now only allowed to use half of the landfill. New team boss ‘Steva the Crocodile’ tries to encourage the team, but they can see the end in sight and mull over whether they should switch to metal picking…
Nemanja Vojinović does an impressive job immersing himself within the Bottlemen community – a montage of the teams genially smiling at the end of the film is clear testimony to how good the relationship is – and while we get only a limited sense of these workers beyond Yani, their need to raise money from this often hard and challenging work speak volumes about the life they are leading. Impressively shot by Igor Marović, the film is rich on atmosphere and tone and is a fascinating delve into a harsh occupation.
Serbia-Slovenia, 2023, 83mins
Dir: Nemanja Vojinović
Production: RT Dobre Nade, Set Sail Films, Urgh!, RTV Slovenia
International sales: Taskovski Films
Producers: Marija Stojnic, Nemanja Vojinović
Cinematography: Igor Marović
Editor: Dragan Von Petrović
Music: Predrag Adamović
With: Yani ‘Yanika’ Boc
