‘Until the Day Ends’ Review: Two People Connect Across a Political Divide in a Striking Serbian Youth Drama
Jelena Maksimović’s Serbian drama “Until the Day Ends” follows two young people who connect after taking part in an act of defiance during anti-government protests. The film avoids an easy message about overcoming political divisions, instead exploring how attraction, responsibility and personal beliefs can sit uneasily together.
Set amid student demonstrations in Belgrade in early 2025, the story centres on Lena, a committed student activist, and Stefan, a working-class young man whose pro-government views appear uncertain. After they throw a cobblestone that badly injures a police officer, they flee the city for the night. The protests followed the deaths of 16 people in 2024 when a canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station; the film has since screened at festivals in Venice, Vienna and Hamburg, and is in Tokyo’s main competition.
In short
- Two young Serbians connect after a protest turns dangerous.
- Their political differences remain unresolved.
- The drama is screening in Tokyo’s main competition.
Explained simply
In 2024, a canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station, killing 16 people. The deaths prompted protests in Serbia, including student demonstrations in the capital, Belgrade, where protesters called for accountability.
The film follows Lena, a student activist, and Stefan, a young man from a working-class background whose support for the government is not clear-cut. They meet during a protest and have to reckon with their actions, beliefs and growing attraction to each other. Their story places a personal relationship against a wider dispute over the government and the protests.