The Yugo was certainly not the most reliable car ever produced, but many people from the former Yugoslavia have fond memories of the vehicle manufactured there; after all, it was ‘their’ car. The numerous engine breakdowns and other mishaps were simply part and parcel of the deal; people were proud of the car, especially when it went on sale in the US in the late 1980s.
Writer and filmmaker Filip Grujić, born in 1995, has no such memories; he has never owned a Yugo, nor has he ever driven one. So it’s high time to create those memories after all. Together with two friends, co-director Aleksa Borković and sound engineer Aleksandar Blazic, he bought a rickety old Yugo to embark on a road trip from New York to Los Angeles to explore the story behind the Yugo in the US. It turns out to be a long journey full of car breakdowns, interesting encounters and nostalgia – an ode to a car brand that has all but disappeared, a witty tale of memories, friendship and adventure.
