Sandbag Dam Review: BFI Flare Festival 2025

A forbidden romance causes ripples through the community of a rural Croatian village in Sandbag Dam

The film’s Croatian title, director Cejen Cernic tells us in a post screening Q&A, is an untranslatable term. Zecji Nasip or ‘rabbit dam,’ refers to a certain type of quick fix flood defence built out of sandbags. Pay attention to rabbits she tells us – did you know that a wild rabbit, if captured, will literally kill itself in throwing its body against the bars of its cage rather than stay in captivity? It’s an ominous intro to a film about a forbidden romance, and I’ve not been this concerned about the safety of actual rabbits on film since watching Of Mice and Men in a dingy concrete classroom in the early 2000s.  

In small town Croatia 18-year-old Marko seems to have it all together. He’s popular at school, has a good relationship with his girlfriend and a steady job prospect with his father to look forward to when he graduates. His most important relationship is with his disabled younger brother Fico – who has a certain obsession with rabbits that colours the whole film.

As the town prepares flood defences for an incoming ‘storm of the century,’ the trajectory of Marko’s life is thrown off course with the return of outcast neighbour Slaven. Slaven has been living in Berlin after being kicked out by his parents for being gay, but is forced to come home to attend his father’s funeral. As much as Marko tries to keep his distance from social pariah Slaven, a buried bond between the two men is quickly rekindled.

The storyline may not exactly be groundbreaking, but some grace must be given for the fact that this is one of only a very few queer films made in Croatia, where same sex relationships are legal but very rarely depicted in the media. If it all feels a little too familiar to Western European audiences, it really may not be for viewers back at home.

Director Cernic tells an intimate story, capturing her characters entirely with handheld close ups in naturalistic settings that allow the audience to feel like an intruder into their lives. The villagelife depicted is simple and unglamorous, but the relationships of its inhabitants feel raw and relatable.

As Marko (a very decent Lav Novosel) tries to keep up appearances for his family while sneaking off every chance he gets to see Slaven (a charming, vulnerable Andrija Zunac) the dual storylines about the forbidden romance and the building flood intertwine in a way that feels only natural. And while the delivery of metaphors about incoming disaster and the fate of caged animals are perhaps a little heavy handed, they certainly aren’t misplaced.

It’s a decent, if somewhat frustrating film. Set against the backstory of preparing for a raging flood, we can’t help but feel that some sort of fierce reckoning is coming; an impending, unavoidable doom. That growing tension does come to something of a head as Marko is forced to reconcile with his double life, but it never quite bubbles over into the maelstrom Sandbag Dam’s metaphors suggested were coming.

Powered by strong performances and a lyrically framed story there’s plenty to appreciate about this romantic drama that packs a huge amount of personal growth for its characters into a mere 90-minute run time. Though it’s unlikely to leave a lasting impression once the credits roll, it’s a quietly moving watch nonetheless.

Sandbag Dam screened as part of the BFI Flare London Film Festival. Wider release details to be confirmed.