I Will Marry the Whole Village

"The Serbian village of Gornji Mateijevac has all the prerequisites for a normal life: electricity, running water, sewage, paved roads, a school, and Internet." Forty-eight-year-old Peca's description sounds almost like an ad, and not without reason, for he sees it as his personal mission to get himself and the more than 200 other bachelors in his village hitched. He cheerfully pulls out all the stops to get his friends ready for their big day. Not an easy task, as the fortysomethings are shy and awkward, and they have no idea how to present themselves. Luckily, Peca sinks his teeth into the project and does not hesitate to get the local authorities and the media involved in his cause. Assisted by an old and wise narrator and with the swinging musical accompaniment of Peca's band The Early Dawn and the ladies' chorus from the nearby city of Nis, director Zeljko Mirkovic offers up a lively documentary about a man with a mission. The film also addresses some serious themes, such as the aging population of Europe, rural depopulation, and the agony of solitude.