In Croatian cinema, like in many cinemas of the world, nostalgia could be powerful ingredient of the successful films. Koko and the Ghosts, 2011 family film directed by Daniel Kušan, tries to use nostalgia in order to win both children and their parents among the audience. Based on the popular 1958 novel by Ivan Kušan, director's father and co-screenwriter, this film features Antonio Parač as Koko, young boy who, together with his family, comes to live in an apartment that was owned by misanthropic old man named Vincek. Koko's friend becomes convinced that he had seen Vincek's ghost, while at the same time certain suspicious characters start looking at the apartment. Kušan, whose previous work was mostly on television, handles limited budget very well, and the music score by Dinko Appelt reminds the audience of Spielberg's classics. Father and son Kušan had an interesting idea to set the plot in late 1970s and early 1980s, and the era is reconstructed in loving idea. Unfortunately, one exception is irritating detail of police having authentic uniforms, yet with modern insignia instead of those of Communist Yugoslavia. While it could be argued that this alteration of history might simplify viewing for the youngest viewers, but it could also interpreted as a sign that the Croatian cinema, like anything else in the country, is still deeply burdened by the past.
RATING: 6/10