Movies

The story centres on a police officer who travels to a small Dalmatian island to investigate reports of the ghostly apparition of Marshal Josip Broz Tito, which triggers various reactions among the locals. The old Partisans want to believe that the time has come for socialism to return, and so the site of Tito’s mysterious appearance becomes a place of pilgrimage for retired fighters arriving in crowds from the mainland.

Seizing the opportunity, an enterprising mayor uses the frenzy to boost the island’s tourism industry by creating an artificial setting complete with rehearsed speeches, red flags and collective rituals. The aim is to revive the memory of figures such as Erich Honecker, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong for maximum profit. This sparks a series of comic and satirical situations driven by symbols of communism and socialism, as the influx of tourists is exploited for capitalist gain. The story also satirically explores the religious phenomenon of apparitions.