Interview » Intervju | 43 I’ve done to date, to answer the question of whether there is life after death and, more importantly, whether there is life before death and what that life is like. Those two eternal questions are at the essence of all great works. It remains for a person to re-examine for themselves, because there’s no answer anywhere that will tell you correctly and precisely what will happen.” You chose a dog to be the hero, presumably not by chance. You actually dedicated this film to man’s best friends… “In some of my stories I’ve made mention of my early childhood and the fact that, in the village near Šabac where I was born, I learned to walk by clutching the fur of a big black dog, who we called Gara. That dog was my first great friend from the animal world. I hung out with him until I was about ten, he pulled me in sleighs, and that childhood was enjoyable to me because of that dog, among other things. Later throughout life, I’ve certainly had around twenty dogs in my house, in my yard... I still don't know how many dogs I’ve fed on the streets of the citieswhere I’ve lived. Every day I literally feed about 50 pigeons, around a hundred sparrows, a dozen cats and just as many dogs. That’s the prettier part of my workday.” Dogs nonetheless have a special place in your life? “They have an emotional place, because it was in them that I found the greatest understanding during some very difficultmoments inmy life. I know that and that’s in no way a mystical story – all the dogs I grew up and hung out with knewwhat I was saying to them. They, of course, responded by barking. Some things I understood and some I didn't, and this film is about that. I’m glad that those people I see in five shops, and that’s really a lot of people, will watch a beautiful story about our great friendshipwith dogs, which dates back tens of thousands of years. I feel extremely sorry, and that’s one of the more shocking news stories for me, when I see that some sicko has mistreated or killed a dog, or any animal. I don’t like people who cause animals pain in any way.” If people were slightly more normal, perhaps we could say that it's not so bad to be a dog? “If you are lucky as a dog, then it isn’t bad to be a dog. However, unfortunately, most dogs are destined to fight for their lives, and find it very tough to survive. Dogs can take comfort in the fact thatmost humans are in the same situation. I tried to answer the question of whether a dog's life is good or not in only one part of this film, thinking from the mind of a stray dog. What does it mean to be alone, what is it like when you find a friend in a human who is also alone and whose life can be dubbed a dog's life? Or a dog can call his life a human life. Everything depends on the position you’re in and how you feel in this world.” Šta znači biti sam, kako je kada nađeš prijatelja čoveka koji je isto tako sam i čiji život semože nazvati psećim What does it mean to be alone, what is it like when you find a human friend who is also alone and whose life can be dubbed a dog’s life
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