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It's Hard to Be Nice

Name: It's Hard to Be Nice
Director: Srđan Vuletić
Released: 2007
Duration: 86 min

Representation Score

5.7/10

Fair

2007

Director

Srđan Vuletić

Runtime

86 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film excels at deconstructing traditional power hierarchies, particularly regarding masculine authority. By centering a protagonist struggling against systemic corruption, it provides a nuanced look at survival and ethics in a post-conflict landscape. However, the narrative remains largely confined to a traditional heterosexual framework, limiting its broader social representation. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its cultural specificity and its refusal to offer simplified moral lessons, opting instead for a gritty, realistic exploration of social transition.

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Category Breakdown

Does It's Hard to Be Nice have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story centers around a heterosexual couple, Fudo and Azra, with no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or non-conforming gender identities within the main plot.

How does It's Hard to Be Nice portray gender?

Good

The film challenges traditional masculine dominance by showing Fudo's competence as fragile. Azra exercises significant influence by leaving the domestic sphere, demonstrating strong moral guidance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is It's Hard to Be Nice?

Fair

The film is deeply rooted in the specific ethnic fabric of Sarajevo, focusing on regional authenticity and the nuances of a particular Bosnian cultural context.

How does It's Hard to Be Nice represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative offers a sophisticated critique of systemic corruption and moral relativism, exploring the challenges of maintaining integrity within a flawed social and capitalist system.

Does It's Hard to Be Nice include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no visible or invisible disabilities portrayed as central to the character arcs in this narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional masculine authority by portraying it as fragile and subject to systemic failure.
Provides a sophisticated critique of systemic corruption and the difficulty of maintaining morality.
Offers deep regional authenticity by grounding the story in the specific social fabric of Sarajevo.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ characters or non-conforming gender identities.
The narrative focus remains heavily centered on a traditional heterosexual domestic structure.
Does not feature characters with visible or invisible disabilities within the central arcs.

Official Synopsis

Story about a forty-something Sarajevo taxi driver named Fudo (Saša Petrović) who decides to take control of his own destiny. Fudo doesn't earn much, so he supplements his income by offering tips to the local criminal syndicate and turning a blind eye to their nefarious dealings. One day, after offering a particularly bad bit of advice to a violent gangster, Fudo is badly beaten. When Fudo's wife Azra (Daria Lorenci) discovers what has happened, she decides to take the couple's infant son and move out. Now determined to win his wife back and restore peace in the home, Fudo decides to go straight. But cleaning up his act isn't going to be easy, because after borrowing enough cash from black market dealer Sejo (Emir Hadžihafizbegović) to purchase a van and then refusing to aid him in any underhanded dealings, the only person willing to cut him any slack is the sympathetic Azra.

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