Variola Vera 1982

Overview

Variola Vera is a 1982 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Markovic. Categorized as a drama, history, and horror film, the production is based on the true story of a smallpox epidemic outbreak in Belgrade. The narrative begins when an Albanian pilgrim returns from the Middle East to Belgrade while infected with an unknown disease. Medical professionals eventually identify the illness as variola vera, a disease previously considered eradicated. By the time the diagnosis is confirmed, the infection has already begun to spread, resulting in the quarantine of a hospital. The film features a cast that includes Rade Serbedzija, Erland Josephson, Dusica Zegarac, and Varja Djukic. With a runtime of one hour and forty-four minutes, the film was released in Yugoslavia on September 7, 1982. Due to its tone and subject matter, the work is frequently classified within the horror genre. The film documents the escalating crisis as medical staff and patients face the consequences of the sudden outbreak within the confined environment of the quarantined facility.