Young and Healthy as a Rose 1971

From the streets of Belgrade rises a young criminal named Stevan, Stiv, who begins by borrowing cars and dabbling in petty crimes. He narrates his own misdeeds, letting the audience hear how his life spins out of control and noting that every attempt to rehabilitate him has failed. As he climbs the criminal ladder, his actions grow bolder and more brutal, and he slides into a life of money, sex, and drugs. The line between fame and danger blurs as he becomes a figure who commands attention simply by existing on the city’s edge.

A police inspector, drawn into Stevan’s orbit, becomes his ally in what looks like a chilling alliance between law and crime. With this bond, Stevan accelerates his takeover of organized crime in Belgrade, transforming into a local celebrity and an idol for a generation of followers. These fans and enablers push their power further, even seizing control of buildings across the city to echo Stevan’s will. The narrative follows him as he orchestrates and presides over his growing empire, while the public gaze—reporters and onlookers—captures his audacious moves.

The momentum crescendos as Stevan and his cadre push into the Hotel Jugoslavija, turning the luxury space into a showcase of their influence. The authorities respond with a relentless pursuit, and a tense police chase unfolds, the camera keeping pace as Stevan tries to outrun justice. In a climactic moment, he is wounded by a policeman, and the pursuit threads toward a sharp, somber close.

The sequence then cuts to Stevan sitting outside a café, addressing the audience directly. He casts doubt on the possibility of retribution outside the cinema, suggesting that real-life criminals often go unpunished while movies offer a different kind of justice. With a cold certainty, he delivers his final, provocative line: > I am your future.