The Trap

Rating

Director

Srdan Golubovic

Screenplay

Melina Pota Koljevic, Srdjan Koljevic (Novel: Nenad Teofilovic)

Length

1h 46m

Starring

Nebojsa Glogovac, Natasa Ninkovic, Anica Dobra, Miki Manojlovic, Marko Dujorvic, Dejan Cukic, Bogdan Diklic, Mladen Nelevic, Boris Isakovic, Vuk Kostic

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

Having played only in two minor film festivals, The Trap is a Serbian drama that never released in the United States and remains one of the best films to fail to do so.

The film is about a couple whose son suffers from seizures due to a heart condition that requires surgery. The cost of the surgery, which their insurance does not cover, is 26,000 Euros. As you would expect from any film wanting to spice itself up with drama, the couple cannot afford it. He works for a failing machinery operation and she works as a teacher. They seek credit and help from friends, but to no avail. Then, after taking out an ad in the newspaper asking contributions, the husband receives a call from a generous benefactor who wants him to kill someone in exchange for the money. He struggles to decide if he should go through with the act, which contributes to frustration and distance in his marriage.

The performances are solid and a lot of the slowness of plot development reminds me of something director Nicolas Winding Refn might have done. This, however, is far less violent than a Refn film, which gives the audience plenty of opportunity to absorb the various maneuvers of the plot across the one hour forty-five minute running time. There’s no question you feel for the couple and question just how far you might go to protect your child in that situation; however, the deeper quandaries have all been tackled ad nauseum in the past.

Despite being written, directed, and produced in Serbia, medical expense and debt are commonplace issues that transcend borders. Such films are too often maudlin or obvious, which makes a film like this refreshing. It takes its time examining recrimination, guilt, marital tension, and myriad other factors that can arise when financial stress threatens the life of the ones we love. Although its relevance is more keenly felt in the United States where health care is far from treated as the human right it should be, other nations can find something emotionally investing about their situation as well.

The key to the The Trap‘s success is the believability of the situation as well as the realistic nature of the various twists and turns of the narrative. While the final scene of the film isn’t terribly shocking, the moments leading up to it should surprise most astute moviegoers. It’s worth watching simply to see how well crafted a small film with no loud explosions, chases, or overly chatty characters can be.

Review Written

May 26, 2026