The man offers the family all the money they need to travel to Germany and complete the surgery on the condition that Mladen murder someone. The film is dense with criticism of and illustration of modern Serbian society as the ravages of war have deteriorated the middle class and the country's sense of morality, though some economic development, albeit based in crime, has created a new class of nouveau riche. The director implies that integrity and morality have been sacrificed or lost as result of the war and the normalcy for the Serbian people has not yet been attained. The film shows how unstable the lives of average people are as well as how uncaring and unsympathetic those who are more financially stable are. The film clearly demonstrates the vast distance between...

The rich in this film are spiritually poor and the poor are more spiritually rich, if not neurotic and exhausted by the stress endured because of poverty.
Had I been in Mladen's situation, I am uncertain as to whether I would have gone through with the murder. I think if I were in his situation, I would have at least discussed the issue with my wife. The fact that Mladen keeps secret what the man requires him to do in order to receive the money is ultimately what drives them apart and destroys their marriage. There is a rampant theme of money destroying everything in Serbia throughout the film, and the destruction of the marriage, of love, and of the family underscores this theme.