The title of Travis Wilkerson’s new work is taken from an old song, which came to greater notice when Leonard Cohen sang it as The Partisan. As both the film and song are partisan in content, the director’s choices provide a broader context. The project started with the impossible aim of making a film about Yugoslavia, yet those very constraints resulted in greater creativity and objectivity in the approach. Due to a film school class, the director temporarily stays in Croatia, and captures the stories taking place around him on camera. Ivan Perić, the director’s guide through the city, may be the most incompetent detective in history. His investigations are delayed by bureaucratic procedures and largely end in failure as no clear answers are provided. The director shares the setting’s stories and past with the viewer as they are taken to see sculptures, buildings in tourist destinations, and public places. Somewhere along the way, the work begins focusing attention on current ills that resemble a revival of fascism. The film presents evil as something seemingly intrinsic to the history of civilization, yet it also shares how hope, beauty, and humor are possible in this world. (Sung MOON)