There’s a dead body on the grounds of Sarajevo’s National History Museum, and nobody’s quite sure what it means. It looks like he tripped and fell to his death, but the injury to his head could have come from being struck. There were pills found next to the body and while they could be regular painkillers, they’re also used by junkies trying to get clean. The director of the museum says she’s happy to help, but she clearly shares a past with the top cop on the case and going by his tortured expression, it didn’t end well.
Speaking of that top cop – better known as Senior Inspector Edib (Fedja Stukan) – there’s an old scriptwriting rule that says in police dramas you’re allowed one scene showing the main character going about their regular life before the main investigation begins. It’s their introduction, giving viewers an idea of what they’re like before the story really begins.
In this case, we first meet Edib driving home in the middle of the night. He sees a car running a red light, chases down the driver, and blocks him in by swerving in front of him. When the driver gets out with a baseball bat, he pulls a gun. Clearly, our hero is not the kind of cop who lets the little things slide. Going by the way he snarls at his subordinates and barks at civilians, it’s going to take a lot to crack his shell.
Edib (Fedja Stukan), right, with his deputy, Mido (Boris Ler). Credit: Bh Telecom / Bh Content Lab
The other important thing this opening sequence does is introduce us to Sarajevo itself. The Hollow is the first homegrown crime drama made in that city, and it clearly knows its location is something special. There’s plenty of grit and grime on the streets – everyone is complaining about the cold and you won’t doubt it’s below-zero for a second – but there’s a lot of beauty in there as well.
Early on there’s a gorgeous tracking shot along the river at night that could come straight out of a tourism commercial; almost every time the camera pulls back we’re reminded that Sarajevo is a mix of old world charm and shiny new money. The opening title sequence shows a view above the clouds with just the very tip of a tower poking above the cover, before diving through the clouds to show the city – located, as you might have gathered, in a hollow – underneath.
There’s more to all this scene-setting than simply showing off a striking setting. Sarajevo is a city that Edib has a complicated history with. Many of his friends and compatriots have moved on after the war; he stayed put while the city changed around him, so much so that he’s not sure that anything he was fighting for remains. Even his passport still says “Yugoslavia”.
Senci (Mario Knezović). Credit: Bh Telecom / Bh Content Lab
One person who has come back is Senci (Mario Knezović), Edib’s old war buddy. After the fighting, they found themselves on different sides of the law. Now Senci is fresh out of prison and back in town looking to make a new start. Or maybe take up some old habits; when he returns to his car wash business he’s not happy with what he finds, and he’s not a man you want to disappoint.
Back at the Museum, journalist Ajla (Ida Keskić) – who gets into the building by claiming to be Edib’s niece – is conducting an interview with the museum director, Selma (Vedrana Bozinovic), and a few things are becoming clear. The Museum is run down and running on the smell of an oily rag. Those working inside the building are freezing; outside, migrants use the yard to sleep in.
Despite being a government organisation, the Museum exists in a kind of limbo, with huge debts lurking in the background and staff that haven’t been paid in years. There’s clear factions within the organisation; theft is a constant concern and while nothing big has been stolen (yet), some think the only real question is whether some staff member will take something for themselves, or the boss will start selling things to pay the bills.
And then the corpse vanishes from the morgue while Edib and deputy Mido (Boris Ler) are tracking down a museum staffer who slipped past the police cordon (with Ajla not far behind). Somebody clearly wants the investigation wrapped up quickly; maybe they’re hiding a murder, maybe there’s an even bigger crime hiding under the surface. Unfortunately for them, Edib is not the kind of cop who lets anything go.
If you doubt it, just ask that driver he tangled with in the opening scene.
The Hollow is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Hollow
series • Crime drama • Bosnian
MA15+
series • Crime drama • Bosnian
MA15+
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