What Is The Professional About?
The premise of The Professional in 270 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the restless streets of early‑2000s Belgrade, a city still reverberating from the shadows of a recent regime, the world of literature and dissent pulses through cafés and university halls. Teodor “Teja” Kraj, a former literature professor turned publishing director, moves within a tight‑knit circle of writers, artists and activists. His verses, raw and bohemian, echo a fierce opposition to the lingering forces of the Milosevic era, and his daily life is a blend of scholarly routine, lingering nostalgia, and the ever‑present undercurrent of political unease.
One ordinary afternoon, the rhythm of his carefully ordered existence is interrupted by the arrival of a stranger bearing a briefcase and an unsettling familiarity. Luka Laban, a man who presents himself as a writer, seems to possess an uncanny knowledge of every trivial and pivotal moment of Teja’s past. The encounter feels less like a chance meeting and more like the opening of a private dossier, prompting Teja to confront a cascade of questions about memory, surveillance, and the hidden threads that bind personal histories to the larger social fabric.
As the conversation unfolds, the film adopts a cerebral, almost tactile atmosphere, where dialogue drips with intellectual sarcasm and the city itself becomes a character—its cracked sidewalks and smoky kafanas reflecting the protagonists’ inner turbulence. The tone straddles the line between sardonic humor and a quiet, mounting tension, inviting the viewer to linger on the nuances of trust, secrecy, and the lingering impact of a turbulent political past. With each whispered revelation, the audience is drawn deeper into a labyrinth of intrigue, awaiting the next piece of the puzzle Teja has never imagined.
What Happens in The Professional?
The complete story of The Professional, from the first scene to the last, in 950 words (about 4 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 6 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 2001, Teodor “Teja” Kraj Branislav Lečić is a former Belgrade University literature professor who has become the manager of a large publishing house. His workers are ready to strike over privatization, led by Jovan Petrović Miodrag ‘Miki’ Krstović. Teja cynically brushes off the demands and plans to celebrate his 48th birthday with his secretary and lover, Marta Nataša Ninković.
A strange man arrives at Teja’s office carrying a briefcase and a large suitcase, insisting on speaking with him. He claims to be a writer and presents Teja with four books ready for publication, hinting that they contain classified information bound in secret by his daughter. He says he won’t be returning, as he is scheduled for a potentially deadly operation. The mysterious man introduces himself as Luka Laban Borivoje Todorović, a former officer of the State Security.
Luka explains that he has followed Teja for ten years, reporting his movements daily. He reveals that his daughter, Ana (now married in Canada), compiled the four books listing Teja as the author, and that Ana wants nothing to do with her father. The books are a collection of stories from the countryside and city life, a set of speeches, and a mysterious fourth volume bound together as a kind of secret dossier. Teja tries to send the man away, yet Luka makes it clear he won’t be leaving. The tension thickens as Teja learns that Luka’s purpose is not simple intrusion but a long, intimate surveillance.
What follows are a series of stories showing how Luka managed to either observe Teja or infiltrate his circle, which includes Maki Josif Tatić—a fat, grumpy, and often drunk figure—and Gipsani Dragan Jovanović, a quirky, boastful man who is frequently injured. Across these episodes, Teja is shown resisting the Milošević regime, with Luka quietly shadowing him at every turn. Marta and the strikers repeatedly misread the interactions between Teja and Luka, imagining things like attempted murder or even inappropriate advances.
Luka first learned of Teja during the 9 March 1991 protests, where Teja delivered a speech while Luka watched through a live camera and even suggested staging a car accident, a plan that was rejected. A flashback to 1993 finds Luka posing as a newspaper salesman and joining Teja, Maki, and Gipsani at a kafana; Teja narrowly avoids a fight, then hallucinates and contemplates suicide in the bathroom, a moment Luka later encounters. Luka reveals he was the driver behind Teja’s limp from a secret car accident in 1995, and Teja snaps at him, only for Marta to interrupt and save him from further danger. The two later share a laugh about the ridiculous and brutal past.
Luka opens his suitcase to reveal that it contains ordinary things Teja has lost over the past decade—mostly during bouts of heavy drinking. He recounts New Year’s Eve 1997, when Ana gave Teja a set of binoculars, a gift Luka later recovered. He had discovered Teja and Ana were dating when Ana was a freshman in his class, and he followed them to a strip club where Teja’s life intersected with Ana’s. There, Luka suffers a stroke and is hospitalized. In the hospital, he tells Ana that he has been following her relationship with Teja and promises he won’t murder Teja.
Back in the present, Teja drinks with Maki and Gipsani in a kafana, while Marta presses for action from the workers. Teja is briefly separated from Luka, who checks a recording device planted in Teja’s office and weighs whether to switch it off. When Teja returns, Luka reveals he had been collecting Teja’s lost mail, including letters from his parents in Šid, and even visited Teja’s parents posing as a police academy acquaintance—revealing how Teja’s family felt abandoned by him.
Luka also shows Teja a photograph-laden record of Teja and Ana, which he forwarded to Teja’s university. The university subsequently expelled Teja for sexual misconduct, and Ana suffered a nervous breakdown and dropped out. Luka confesses that he became an alcoholic in that period and concedes, perhaps ruefully, that his actions might have been “worth it.” Teja again threatens Luka, but Marta interrupts to inform Teja that the strikers have blocked the street. On his way out to confront them, Teja sees Luka carefully monitoring a hidden recording device, and Teja and Marta’s relationship is further complicated by Jovan, who appears with a gun. Luka uses his authority to call off the protest, hinting at how State Security is not truly reformed if people like him still hold real power.
Luka explains that this is only the second time he saved Teja’s life. The first occurred after Teja’s father’s funeral, when Teja and his friends mourned all night in a kafana where Luka had infiltrated a hunters’ club. Teja drank through the night, and Luka returned his father’s golden ring to him years later. On a train ride home, Luka sat in Teja’s compartment wearing a fake mustache as a sympathetic conductor; Teja left the compartment to use the toilet, and fell from the moving train. Luka stopped the train and carried the unconscious Teja back to safety, fearing that Ana would think he had killed Teja if the worst happened.
Luka reveals that he is now working as a cab driver and that his purpose was simply to ensure Teja would have the four books and a play Teja “wrote”—really a voice recorder Luka carried. He even provides Ana’s number in Canada and begs Teja to tell her they parted as friends. In the director’s cut, it’s suggested that the two men were being watched by State Security all along, adding a final layer of secrecy to Teja’s long, perilous struggle against power, memory, and truth.
The Professional Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Teja's 48th birthday planned amid looming strike” to “Present-day: the reveal of State Security and a teardown plan”. 12 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Teja's 48th birthday planned amid looming strike
In 2001, Teodor 'Teja' Kraj, a former literature professor turned publishing executive, plans a celebratory meal with his secretary Marta while his workers threaten to strike over privatization. He cynically dismisses the workers' demands and continues with personal plans. The tension between business and politics frames his day in Belgrade.
When:2001 Where:Belgrade, Teja's publishing office
- 2
A mysterious visitor arrives with four secret books
A strange man arrives with a briefcase and a large suitcase, insisting on speaking with Teja. He introduces himself as a writer and presents four books bound by his daughter, hinting that they contain classified information. Teja is intrigued but wary, and the visitor insists the books must be read.
When:2001 Where:Teja's office
- 3
Luka Laban discloses a decade of surveillance
The visitor finally reveals his identity: Luka Laban, a former State Security officer who has followed Teja for ten years. He explains that his daughter Ana compiled the four books listing Teja as the author, and that Ana is now married in Canada and wants nothing to do with her father. Luka hints at a larger motive tied to Teja's political activities.
When:2001 Where:Teja's office
- 4
Luka's 1991 watch: the 9 March protests
The film recounts Luka observing Teja during the 9 March 1991 protests via a live camera feed. He even suggests staging a car accident to discredit Teja, but his superiors deny the plan. The moment establishes Luka's long-standing surveillance and the politics surrounding Teja.
When:9 March 1991 Where:Belgrade streets (via live camera)
- 5
1993 kafana encounter and Teja's paranoia
In 1993, Luka, posing as a newspaper salesman, sits with Teja, Maki, and Gipsani at a kafana. Teja narrowly avoids a fight and begins to talk of killing himself. Luka tr commits to manipulating the moment, following Teja to the bathroom and nearly staging a suicide for him. The scene deepens Teja's sense of danger.
When:1993 Where:Kafana (Belgrade)
- 6
August 1995: the car accident and a hospital confrontation
Luka reveals he was behind the wheel of a secret car accident in 1995 that left Teja with a limp. Two days after the Fall of Knin, Teja's anti-government protest is derailed; in the hospital, Luka, posing as a doctor, provokes Teja, and Teja bites Luka's ear before order is restored. The event cements their fraught history.
When:August 1995 Where:Hospital (Belgrade area)
- 7
New Year's Eve 1997: the binoculars and Ana's presence
On New Year's Eve 1997, Ana gives Teja a set of binoculars, which Luka later retrieves. The moment signals Teja's personal life intersecting with Luka's surveillance and Ana's ongoing involvement. The discovery foreshadows the tangled web of relationships that follow.
When:31 December 1997 Where:Unspecified (personal spaces in Belgrade)
- 8
Santa-clad strip club and Ana's visa ambitions
Interrupting a protester’s interrogation during the 1996–97 protests, Luka spies on Teja and Ana at a strip club wearing a Santa Claus mask. The scene underscores Luka’s constant monitoring and Teja's precarious personal life entangled with political unrest.
When:1996–1997 Where:Strip club (Belgrade)
- 9
Luka's stroke and Ana's revelation
At the strip club visit, Luka suffers a stroke and is hospitalized. There, he confesses to Ana that he has followed her relationship and her visa ambitions to Canada, and promises he would not murder Teja. The moment reveals the cost of decades of surveillance on all involved.
When:1997 Where:Hospital
- 10
Teja and Ana's fallout: photos and expulsion
Luka continues to collect and forward Teja's lost items and photographs of Teja with Ana to Teja's university. As a result, Teja is expelled for sexual misconduct, Ana suffers a nervous breakdown and drops out, and Luka spirals into alcoholism. The consequences ripple through their lives.
When:Late 1990s Where:University (Belgrade) / personal life
- 11
NATO bombing and Ana's Canada life
During NATO bombing in 1999, Teja visits his ex-wife in a bomb shelter, bringing a toy dog he bought for his son. Luka has previously shown photographs of Teja with Ana to Ana's mother, prompting her to leave Teja. By then, Ana is married in Canada, distant from her father.
When:1999 Where:Bomb shelter (Šid area) and Canada-based life
- 12
Present-day: the reveal of State Security and a teardown plan
Back in the present, Marta witnesses Teja and Luka discuss how a murder could be framed as a suicide or crime of passion, and how State Security never truly reformed—only Luka was dismissed. Luka opens his suitcase, revealing lost items Teja has misplaced over ten years, and offers Ana's Canada number to Teja. In the director's cut, they are shown to be watched by State Security all along.
When:Present (2001) Where:Teja's office and surroundings
Who Are the Main Characters in The Professional?
8 characters, among them Teodor 'Teja' Kraj (Branislav Lečić), Luka Laban (Borivoje Todorović) and Marta (Nataša Ninković): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- T'
Teodor 'Teja' Kraj (Branislav Lečić)
Played by Branislav Lečić
A former literature professor who has become the manager of a large publishing house. He is sardonic, self-assured, and morally ambiguous, using his position and wit to navigate a volatile political landscape. His relationship with Marta reveals a more intimate, unstable side, while his past actions are constantly called into question by Luka's recollections.
- 🎭 Complex
- morally ambiguous
- 📚 Intellectual
- power broker
- LL
Luka Laban (Borivoje Todorović)
Played by Borivoje Todorović
A retired State Security officer who has followed Teja for years, compiling four books that expose Teja’s life. He presents himself as a storyteller and savior, yet his interventions reveal a calculating, obsessive streak. Now a cab driver, Luka wields intimate knowledge of Teja's flaws to control the present.
- 🧭 Obsessed observer
- 💼 State security veteran
- M(
Marta (Nataša Ninković)
Played by Nataša Ninković
Teja's secretary and lover, a pragmatic and perceptive woman who becomes entangled in the misreadings and dangers surrounding Teja and Luka. She embodies emotional intensity and moral clarity, often acting as the heart of the group amid escalating tensions.
- 💖 Loyal
- 💬 Mediator
- M(
Maki (Josif Tatić)
Played by Josif Tatić
A large, gruff, chronically inebriated companion who loyalizes with Teja and the others. His blunt, rough presence provides a counterpoint to the more calculated scheming around Teja, illustrating how friendship manifests in a world of political strain.
- 🥃 Drunken loyalist
- 🗣️ Blunt realist
- G(
Gipsani (Dragan Jovanović)
Played by Dragan Jovanović
A quirky, boastful, and frequently injured man who tags along with Teja and Maki. He embodies a comic relief that still hides a sharper edge, highlighting how people adapt in oppressive environments.
- 🎭 Eccentric ally
- 💪 Resilient survivor
- JP
Jovan Petrović (Miodrag 'Miki' Krstović)
Played by Miodrag 'Miki' Krstović
A State Security officer with a manipulative streak who plays the coded role of Trotsky. He uses his influence to agitate unions and to steer the events around Teja, representing institutional pressure and calculated menace.
- 🕴️ Opportunist
- 🗡️ Manipulator
- TO
Tejin otac
Played by Stole Novaković
Teja's father, a figure whose absence and funeral haunt Teja's memories. His death and Teja's fragmented family life underscore the loneliness and distance that mark Teja's personal history.
- 👨👦 Family ghost
- 🕰️ Remembrance
- TM
Tejin majka
Played by Renata Ulmanski
Teja's mother, a presence in the family narrative whose loneliness and neglect echo through Teja's decisions. Her character underscores the price of a life lived under strain and secrecy.
- 👩👧 Maternal figure
- 💔 Estranged
Where and When Is The Professional Set?
The Professional is set in Belgrade and Serbia (2001). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
2001
The frame story unfolds in 2001, shortly after the 5 October Overthrow, during Serbia's transition from Milošević-era control to reform. The film frequently cuts back to the 1990s, including the 1991 protests, the wars in the region, and the late-1990s protests, showing a society under strain from conflict and political upheaval. These historical moments provide the backdrop against which Teja's career and Luka's surveillance history unfold.
Where
Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, serves as the film's stage. The city is depicted as a center of intellectual life, political unrest, and underground networks of surveillance. From university halls to kafanas and crowded streets, the setting encapsulates the era of protests, privatization, and state power that shape Teja and Luka's intertwined fates.
- 🏙️ Belgrade city center
- 🎨 Cultural hub
- 🕰️ 1990s–2000s
What Are the Themes of The Professional?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Surveillance, Power and Ethics and Memory and Betrayal.
-
01
Surveillance
The movie centers on persistent observation, with Luka's ten-year surveillance of Teja shaping every decision and revelation. The narratives Luka collects become a tool for manipulation, revealing how information can be weaponized. The line between protector and persecutor blurs as Teja's private life is dissected in front of a watching world.
-
02
Power and Ethics
Power structures—state security, labor unions, and political authority—intersect with personal ambition. Teja's moral compromises clash with Luka's sense of duty, illustrating how authority can corrupt individuals or, paradoxically, save them. The film scrutinizes whether ends justify means in a society where loyalty is fluid and betrayal is weaponized.
-
03
Memory and Betrayal
A cache of lost items and recollections forms a map of Teja's past, guiding present actions and loyalties. Luka's recounting of memories serves as both confession and manipulation, forcing Teja to confront the consequences of long-ago choices. The narrative treats memory as a volatile currency in a world where yesterday's truths become today's weapons.
What Kind of Film Is The Professional?
Dark in tone, with slow pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Ambiguous
A deliberately paced, melancholic political satire that creates a dense, unsettling atmosphere as a man confronts the stranger who has intimately surveilled his life, blurring the lines between memory and manipulation.
- melancholic
- unsettling
- claustrophobic
- reflective
- paranoid
- state surveillance
- political resistance
- redemption
- memory and the past
- artistic expression
Content notes: psychological manipulation, stalking, suicidal ideation.
Quiz
How well do you remember The Professional? Test yourself on the story.
