Character Relationship Map: Two Benchwarmers

Characters

• Duško Katran (played by Borko Perić) — protagonist

  Duško is one of the two men expected to testify about Colonel Skoko, and he is handcuffed when he first meets the other man. Suspicious and fearful of retaliation, he questions the point of testifying...

• Antiša (played by Tarik Filipović) — supporting

  Antiša is the man brought into the arrangement to testify about Colonel Skoko. He insists his name is Antiša, not Ante, and denies knowing Ante or sharing his wartime history. He prepares a false iden...

• The Hague Investigator (played by Renne Gjoni) — supporting

  The Hague Investigator questions the two men as they prepare to give evidence concerning Colonel Skoko. The rehearsed identity and story they have developed prove difficult to maintain under questioni...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• The Hague Investigator → Duško Katran (Professional Questioner And Witness) — Duško's fear of retaliation and disagreement about the purpose of testifying emerge during questioning.

  The investigator questions Duško as one of the two men expected to give evidence concerning Colonel Skoko.

• The Hague Investigator → Antiša (Professional Questioner And Witness) — The investigator's questioning tests Antiša's prepared account and exposes its weaknesses.

  The investigator questions the two men as they prepare to give evidence, and Antiša's rehearsed identity and story become difficult to maintain under...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Antiša → Duško Katran (Conflict Wary Testimony Partners) — They must cooperate on a shared testimony while disputing their motives, their account of Skoko's detention, and the danger that may follow.

  They are brought together to prepare and give evidence concerning Colonel Skoko, but their conversations are marked by suspicion, insults, arguments,...

Story Analysis

Two suspicious witnesses prepare and deliver an unstable account of Colonel Skoko's detention while fearing the consequences of their testimony.

Plot Progression

1. An Uneasy Assignment — In Zagreb, Antiša rejects the name Ante and denies a shared wartime history. He is drawn into an assignment with a handcuffed Duško, whose resistance sets their suspicious relationship in motion.
2. A Story Built from Friction — The men struggle with practical problems and prepare disguises and an assumed identity. Arguments over money and the possibility of being killed reveal how little they trust the arrangement.
3. Fear Before Testimony — Duško expects those behind the arrangement to eliminate them after they testify. Antiša urges him to accept the promised money, but their different attitudes toward the danger remain unresolved.
4. The Account Unravels — Under the investigator's questioning, their rehearsed identities and testimony become difficult to sustain. Duško's memory of Skoko's threat shapes his refusal to help secure Skoko's release.
5. A Threat Without Closure — The men recall the pig-farm detention and disagree over details, motives, and the events surrounding it. Their testimony ends with the memory of Skoko's shouted threat, leaving the consequences uncert...