The Third Key

Plot

Dunja (Vedrana Međimorec) and Zvonko (Božidar Alić) are a young married couple who are moving into a newly built apartment in Novi Zagreb. Their relationship is burdened by a number of personal issues: Dunja being older than Zvonko and having other lovers before him, and Zvonko being prone to alcohol abuse. As Dunja is unemployed and Zvonko has old gambling debts, they are chronically struggling for money and their trust in each other seems to have been eroded. Although it transpires that the apartment was not acquired in an entirely legal way, the two are hopeful about a new start.

Dunja and Zvonko soon begin noticing suspicious strangers in the vicinity, and mysterious envelopes with substantial amounts of cash start to appear in their mailbox. Since the envelopes are addressed to them, they decide to spend the money, although they are unable to identify the sender. Soon after that, they discover signs of an apparent intrusion, as if someone has the third key - the one they were supposed to receive with the apartment but never did - and is using it to enter their home while they're away.

The couple are unsettled over the events and are struggling to explain them, eventually asking friends and then the police for help, but to no avail. Dunja is convinced from the outset that there must be a connection between the intrusions and the money, while Zvonko is dismissive towards that idea, lulled by the unexpected financial gain.

Over time, the couple's relationship becomes increasingly strained by uncertainty and fear, leading to mutual accusations and verbal fights. They leave the apartment for a motel, only to receive the same envelope at the reception. Finally, they swap the apartment with a friend, but the envelopes keep arriving...

Background and production

Božidar Alić got the role of Zvonko after Tadić noticed him in "72-96", an episode of drama TV series Nepokoreni grad directed by Tadić in 1981.

The role of Dunja was initially meant for Božidarka Frajt, but went in the end to then little-known Vedrana Međimorec because Frajt either waited too long with her acceptance or - according to another source - cancelled at the last moment.

The production of The Third Key was twice as expensive as that of Tadić's debut, Rhythm of a Crime, but was still very modest. Standard 16 mm film was used, later transferred to 35 mm. Two thirds of the footage were shot in the same indoor location, with very simple sets. Most scenes feature only the two main protagonists, and episodic roles were played by director's friends. Apart from the opening and closing credits, there is no music in the film.

Alić's behavior during the shooting made Tadić vow never to work with him again. Apparently, as soon as Alić sensed his partner did well, he deliberately fumbled his lines so as to ruin the shot. This ultimately cost him the lead role in Love Letters with Intent (1985), as Zvonimir Berković - upon hearing from the crew of The Third Key that Alić was impossible to work with - passed him over in favor of Zlatko Vitez.

Reception and legacy

While the The Third Key is generally considered to fall short of the high standard set by Rhythm of a Crime, it is nevertheless deemed interesting for its genre approach and topic which were novel in Croatian and Yugoslav cinema of the era.

Croatian film critic Jurica Pavičić named The Third Key his personal favorite among five films shot by Tadić in the 1980s, after his debut.

In 2007, Croatian film critic Nenad Polimac listed The Third Key in his selection of "lost classics" of Croatian cinema.