“Milk, Bread and Sugar”

The article is a critique of A Gram of Heart (Gram srca, 2024) by Jan Cvitkovič, a film that presents a harrowing portrait of addicts’ lives through documentary imagery, a poetic voiceover and intimate testimonies. Through personal anecdotes and experiences, the filmmaker reveals the stigma, poverty, violence and lack of warmth and safety that often contribute to addiction. The scenes are raw, honest and unembellished, depicting the real lives of individuals trapped in the cycle of dependency. Cvitkovič employs elements of poetry, off-screen narration, close-up shots and an unstable camera to create an emotionally charged and aesthetically distinctive cinematic language. The article particularly questions the potential danger of a patronising tone sensed in the poetic voiceover. Is the viewer’s discomfort the result of a directorial misstep or perhaps a key part of the artist’s intent?

The integral version of this article can be found in the printed KINO!