Bullying, Grief, and Adolescent Cruelty
Tzotza (Jovan Ginic) is the center of attention three weeks after the suicide of his best friend. As he puts on a brave face and steps onto the bus for a school field trip, teachers whisper about how glad they are that he is attending, and the teenagers whisper about how they wish he wasn’t. Despite losing a fellow student, this busload of teenagers is on their way to the Balkans – taking selfies, hitting vapes, and playing pranks in the process. When Milica sneaks her boyfriend on board, the dynamic shifts and the target on Tzotza’s back continues to grow. As if things couldn’t get worse, the bus is stranded, forcing the group to hike to a local resort to stay the night until repairs are complete. It becomes obvious that the two teachers chaperoning the trip are in over their heads (because who wouldn’t be with such an imbalanced adult to teen ratio), and this pitstop becomes a pressure cooker for the drama that exists between the hoard of hormonal monsters.
As the night goes on, the bullying aimed at Tzotza continues to get more sinister, and you have to wonder how far these boys will go. How much torment is going to get thrown at a poor kid already grieving his best friend? While the name of the game for the boys in the class is redirecting any negative energy Tzotza’s way, trying to solidify a place in the hierarchy and prove their masculinity to one another, the girls are focused inward. Whether it is staring at social media sites on their phones or staring into the mirror analyzing every flaw, the rest of the teens are too blinded by insecurity. Unfortunately, teenagers have always tormented one another, but the pressures that fuel the fire are always evolving.
Between 3 Weeks After and other Fantastic Fest offerings like Adult Supervision and Mike Flanagan’s Carrie series, it is clear that our concern about bullying between high schoolers is still as prevalent as ever – but we are starting to hone in on the right questions to ask. The through-line emerging in this lineup is the responsibility and culpability of the adults who created the world that brought up these adolescents. When and how should we intervene. How can we clearly name a victim or abuser. Of course, there is no real right answer – regardless of age, we are all trying to figure life out while the world keeps turning.
Serbian director Miroslav Terzic is not concerned with satisfying his audience. This is no revenge film. There is no feel-good ending. His concern is the brutal reality of the gloomy world we are living in. While what happens to Tzotza is quite a grim portrayal of the way young folks treat one another, the moral compass of each character is not as clear as it may seem. 3 Weeks After is a beautiful film with confident direction and Terzic never needs to tell the viewer what to feel. He instead wants us to look at the feeling that this tough watch conjures and ask why. Atmospheric, full of dread, and led by Ginic's heartbreaking performance, 3 Weeks After brings the right kind of drama I'm looking for at Fantastic Fest.
3.5/5
This review was originally published on 9/23/2026