Mile is the Serbian everyman.
Over the last 15 years he has watched the disintegration of Yugoslavia, wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, and the collapse of the Serbian economy. He has endured the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, international isolation, and entrenched corruption. He has witnessed Milosevic’s downfall, the assassination of Serbia’s prime minister, and the failure of its politicians.
Feeling poor and powerless, he does what all of us would do in the face of frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty: he yells at his TV.
Mile (pronounced “ME-lay”) is the creative product of scriptwriter Srdjan Andlejic, director Rasa Andric, and actor Zoran Cvijanovic, and the main character of Mile vs. the Transition, an innovative program by Serbia’s pioneering independent television station B92.
With support from an IREX grant, B92 responded to popular demand to develop the show from a 15-minute pilot comedy into a 14-episode series that has captured the adoration of its audience and turned Mile into a national icon. A second grant is now enabling the production of an additional 17 episodes.
The combined talents of Andlejic, Andric, and Cvijanovic have generated a following not only among B92’s already loyal base, but have also attracted new viewers to the station, from rural areas of the country to the northern region of Vojvodina.
Mile vs. the Transition, however, is not your average sit-com. It is a sophisticated satire that tackles serious political issues and the difficulty, and necessity, of coping with them. In his struggle against “the Transition,” Mile pits his old, closed mindset against the forces of modernization and reform, and in so doing, highlights the absurdity of resisting progress and change.
Along the way, he struggles with the central themes confronting contemporary Serbian society, including the economy, education, health care, media, the judicial system, the police, and European integration. “Oh yeah, and is that what Europe said should be done?” becomes his weak rebellion when faced with the choice between clinging to the past and embracing a new future.
The success of the show lies in its ability to ease that choice, to offer identification with Mile’s fears while demonstrating the need to overcome them.
As Andric says, “It’s terribly easy being Mile, but not good. Every one of us could resist the changes which transition brings, but the question is whether this is useful or not. Mile in this series is not a character who should be admired, but someone who should make us snap out of it...”
At a time when Serbia’s continuing challenges have led many citizens down the paths of nationalism or apathy, Mile vs. the Transition offers a third option: civic engagement through social humor. A rare combination of commentary and entertainment, it is a testament to the power of television to make its audience think while also making them laugh.
B92, the leading independent television station in Serbia, also operates the country’s top private radio station. See www.b92.net [7].
IREX provided support to B92 for the production through the ProMedia Serbia program, funded by USAID.
