Though the writer and director maintains that it is an allegory for how he sees the Serbian government and European film industry, A Serbian Film can just as easily (if not more so) be viewed as a critique of the often humiliating, dehumanizing, and sadistic themes which permeate much of the contemporary porn industry—something which Total Films noted in their less-than-positive review of the film. The fact that the film is set in Serbia arguably adds to the effect, since the fall of communism and consequent dissolution of the socialist welfare state forced many Eastern-Europeans (particularly in Russia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary) into the sex industry as a means of making ends meet.
Though this may not have been accidental after all. In a podcast in 2022, the film's writer revealed that the core premise was inspired by the cinematic exploits of Italian porn icon, Rocco Siffredi:
Aleksandar Radivojević: Siffredi had been cranking out VHS tapes depicting himself engaged in brutal sexual acts on location with local girls in different parts of Europe (mostly in marginalized and poor post-communist Eastern European countries), all of which had an uncomfortable undertone of colonialism. One particular scene that stayed in my mind has him having sex with a girl in a car while in the background you see this forest out of which a group of grizzled beggars suddenly starts to emerge, at which point Siffredi who by now is done with the girl, 'returns her' to the downtrodden locals, handing her over to them in the manner of a modern-day Marquis de Sade as if to say: ‘here you go, I’ve finished what I needed to do, she's all yours now’. So, by making the main character in that original synopsis an aging male porn star, I began to incorporate this notion of modern-day colonialism via sexual exploitation of a poor country's human resource.
After all the horrible, awful things that Vukmir and his gang do to Miloš and his family, it sure is gratifying to see Miloš finally regain awareness and kill Vukmir by repeatedly bashing his head into the floor, killing his doctor with one of the drugs she's been using on him, shooting two of Vukmir's guards with a handgun, and killing Raša (whom—need we reiterate—violated a newborn child for one of Vukmir's films) by stabbing him through the eye socket with his erection.
Marija brutally killing Marko after he's done violating her is also very cathartic.
For some audiences, oh yes; for others, it's just plain disturbing and exploitative all round. However, many seem to agree that Raša's eye socket death qualifies with how comically over-the-top and satisfyingly gruesome it is.
Raša violating a newborn baby? Sickening and terrifying. Vukmir suddenly yelling "NEWBORN PORN!" while Milking the Giant Cow? Fucking hilarious.
Death of the Author: Pretty much no one believes the director's claim that the film is an allegory for the Serbian government. And even those who do believe him still maintain that the allegory is so abstract that it cannot be taken seriously by anyone who doesn't already have a pre-existing hatred of the Serbian government anyway.
Genius Bonus: The infamous Newborn porn scene appears to be a reference to the Newborn monument, built to commemorate Kosovo's formal declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia itself however, still does not recognize Kosovo as its own autonomous entity, and it is unlikely that Spasojevic is unaware of this fact. His claim that the scene in question is an allegory for how Serbia 'screws its people from birth' lends credence to the theory.
Newborn porn!note The line in question originates from a very disturbing scene in the movie where someone rapes a baby immediately after they're born. And That's Terrible!
The film's repulsive and disgusting subject matter has led to jokes claiming it to be an adaptation of The Aristocrats.
Moment of Awesome: While still pretty disturbing, Miloš brutally killing Vukmir, his doctor and Raša is absolutely glorious considering the numerous atrocities they committed throughout the film.
Moral Event Horizon: Miloš considers Vukmir to have crossed it after the latter shows the former a particularly disturbing film whose scenes include a newborn baby being violated immediately following its birth.
Narm: The newborn rape scene is genuinely disturbing and disgusting. Vukmir yelling "NEWBORN PORN!, NEWBORN!" on the other hand, is so hilariously over-the-top it can make some viewers chuckle. Some.
Nausea Fuel: Everything about this film to the point where it could be considered the cinematic adaptation of this trope. Special mention goes to the infamous newborn porn scene.
Overshadowed by Controversy: The film is a low budget Torture Porn flick that has been seen by few but is well known for being extremely graphic and disturbing, and it's been banned in more than six countries due to as-yet-unsubstantiated but persistent rumors that it contains footage of unsimulated child molestation. The actual plot concerns a destitute man who gets suckered into the Snuff Film industry as a way to make ends meet and the director insists it's meant to all be a metaphor for the free-for-all make ends meet in the post-Milosevic government of Serbia. Most don't believe him.
Signature Scene: Two words: Newbornporn. The sheer depravity of this scene alone is why the film's TV Tropes page is locked. That or the infamous eye rape scene—the latter mainly due to Miloš' expression during the scene appearing in much of the promotional material.
Special Effect Failure: A few, although they don't exactly make the film any less disturbing.
In a few shots, it is incredibly obvious that Miloš' penis is a rubber prop. The brief closeup shot of him threatening to cut it off is perhaps the most notable; the knife's blade actually penetrates it a couple of millimeters, yet there's a complete absence of blood.
When Miloš ejaculates onto someone's face, the semen is obviously fake—likely some sort of cream or lotion. This may have been done intentionally so as to avoid the film being even more banned/censored than it already is.
When Lejla has had her teeth removed, the actress' real and intact teeth are blatantly noticeable under the heavy amounts of fake blood used to cover them.
The one thing that can make the infamous "Newborn porn" scene slightly less disturbing is noticing (especially in the uncut version) that the baby appearing in it is clearly fake, akin to the one famously used in American Sniper.
Squick: It would be much easier to list the scenes in the film that don't fall under it.
Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Arguably, part of what makes A Serbian Film so disturbing is how it seemingly goes out of its way to avert this trope at first. The opening scenes give the impression that it's going to be a sort of raunchyBlack Comedy about a former porn star awkwardly trying to live the family man life. It isn't until quite a ways in that things gradually get more disturbing until finally, Miloš is shown a film by Vukmir wherein Raša is seen doing something unspeakable to a newly-born baby. This ultimately drives Miloš to try and walk away from the production in the hopes of regaining his sanity, only to wake up days later and learn through Flashbacks that he had been drugged and that the most gruesome events have already transpired. Thus, it isn't until the very end of the film—when Miloš finally realizes what all has happened—that the despair kicks in and his family dying together feels almost merciful. UNTIL, that is, another movie crew visits the house and begin to do something unspeakable to their dead bodies...
. The fact that the film is set in Serbia arguably adds to the effect, since the fall of communism and consequent dissolution of the socialist welfare state forced many Eastern-Europeans (particularly in Russia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary) into the sex industry as a means of making ends meet.