The River Takes Us

Bošnjak's tender, yet ruthless, hommage to the land of his forefathers was made completely beyond theatre trends and currents, naturally blended with tradition and, at the same time, imersed into reality. Intimacy is implicit here, whereas the political manner is almost involuntary; it does not strive for a ''larger-than-life'' story, yet it manages to turn out precisely like that. Bošnjak had written plays before and after it, but the power of The River Takes Us, its originality and universality, puts it at the very top of the playwright's oeuvre, leaving us with the impression that we're facing a play that seems like it was ''spat out'' and written without calculations, simply because ''it had to be done''. The fact that such a play bypassed the stages in Zagreb may surprise those who are not in the know, but having in mind that the plays of our contemporary writers that live to see new interpretations after the first performance are rare, one should seek in this fact only a confirmation of a theatre habit, very often a hardly explicable one. And, in Bošnjak's case, it would be a shame, here in Zagreb, not to try reviving his play-river ''where knives are drawn, Shakespeare is quoted, where there is suffering and joy, living and dying.''

''Dolenčić continues the series of quality premieres which have marked Gavella's season this year. (...) The relationship between the Aunt and Jerko, which revolves around the mutual feeling of guilt towards the death of a loved one, the death which couldn't have been prevented, is revaluated in the last scene when Vlasta Knezović, with her performance, actually manages to ''divide'' the water that separates the world of the living and the dead and through a thick veil of the river touch her child, who symbolically gives her, or gives back to her the right to live. This moment is also the proof of the artistic quality of Bošnjak's text, which has been read in Gavella as an appeal for the return to life.'' (Nataša Govedić, ''Novi list'')

''Vlasta Knezović and Anja Šovagović Despot are exquisite as standardized rural heroines, the energic Darko Milas is excellent and entirelly focused on the difficult role of Jerko is the new member of the ensemble Amar Bukvić. Zoran Gogić, Perica Martinović and Siniša Ružić too are a part of a faultless cast.'' (Denis Derk, ''Večernji list'')

''The subtly crafted conflict among the characters steadily grows, their inner drama slowly emerges on the surface, they are hopeful in their life roles which they cannot escape. The director has given the author as much attention as he would give Chekov, and the illusion has worked out.'' (Tomislav Čadež, ''Jutarnji list'')

''The performace is persuasive and moving in its ''difference'' and in its own way reaches the audience, who gave it a long applause at the opening night.'' (Lidija Zozoli, ''Vijenac'')