Serb Your Enthusiasm: Anti-fandom and 'A Serbian Film'

In the years since its release, A Serbian Film (Spasojević, 2010) has been discussed in academic terms largely within the context of its director's stated intention of presenting an allegorical story about Serbia's troubled past. This article is based on an original research project concerned with the experiences of English-speaking audiences of A Serbian Film, the vast majority of whom make no mention of the historical knowledge upon which all academic textual analyses rely. It investigates the viewing strategies of audiences of this notoriously violent film. In focusing on only those participants with the most negative experiences, this article engages with literature on anti-fandom (including Gray, 2003; Harman and Jones, 2013, Pinkowitz, 2011; Strong, 2009) to examine discourses relating to the film itself and other audiences of it. Findings suggest a variety of distancing strategies put in place by disapproving audiences and highlight a practice of pre-meditated antifandom, which accounts for instances where participants' expectations of A Serbian Film are echoed in their reasons for their disapproval.