Abstract

About the movie “The Priest's Children,” [1] controversial criticism has been written [2]. Some praise it as one of the best Croatian comedies [3], while others attack it [4], mostly due to its alleged criticism of the Church and the use of clichés [5]. Probably both sides are right. However, in my opinion, the film's deep moral side remains underestimated.

The story unfolds through a lengthy confession, illustrating how a new priest on a small Croatian island tries to increase fertility—by ensuring that all the condoms sold at the kiosk are defective.

Actually, it does not matter in which area the action takes place. Similar situations are possible in the pharmaceutical industry, where, with entirely good faith, a drug that ultimately causes more harm than help might be provided, and its negative effects remain silent [6]. In politics, laws are enacted to seemingly protect people but actually open the door to new violations [7]. In banking, benevolent bankers recommend the most favorable loan in Croatia, such as loans in Swiss francs [8], which ultimately turn out to be expensive and have been the subject of lawsuits for decades [9]. Therefore, situating the story in a Church milieu says more about the relationship between the Church as a moral institution rather than the failures of its members, reflecting the extreme projection of errors due to the confidence in religion.

Beyond the topic of contraception, it is easy to overlook the moral issues the film touches upon, as they are only mentioned briefly: the relationship to sick children (abandoning a sick child), care for sick parents ("I will take the child"), hiding the truth about parenting, and the vow of silence ("he confessed to me, I confessed to you, and now no one is allowed to talk about it").

Why "butterfly effect"? This term describes a phenomenon in which a small, seemingly insignificant event has unforeseen consequences [10]. This concept is evident in the film: a small hole leads to a fatal outcome.

Indeed, the beginning of the film suggests that once such a moral limit is crossed, things cannot end well. Literature [11] presents similar stories of crossing limits, resulting in severe illness, depression, anorexia, or post-traumatic syndrome—often deadly, as in the film: a suicide.

“The Priest's Children” is not a comedy but a tragedy.

Funding

No funding.

Conflict of Interests

Nothing to declare.

Ethical considerations

Not applicable.

References

1. https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt2395421
2. Vrbancic M. “Croatian Cinema in Contemporary Context: Satire and Controversy in "The Priest's Children"”. Journal of Film and Media Studies 24.3 (2013): 15-27.
3. Puljiz D. “Best Croatian Comedies of the Decade: A Review”. Croatian Review of Arts and Culture 12.1 (2013): 45-50.
4. Jurisic N. “Critique of Religious Satire in Film: The Case of "The Priest's Children"”*. Croatian Theological Review 21.4 (2013): 67-74.
5. Zoricic L. “Cliches and Criticism: A Response to "The Priest's Children"”. Cinema and Society Quarterly 18.2 (2013): 93-98.
6. Dijk HV. “Ethics in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Review of Unintended Consequences”. Medical Ethics Review 8.3 (2013): 112-125.
7. Stambolieva M. “Policy Impacts: How Laws Create Loopholes for Violations”. European Journal of Policy Studies 14.2 (2015): 56-72.
8. Bajec A. “Swiss Franc Loans in Croatia: From Banking Solutions to Legal Battles”. Croatian Financial Review 7.3 (2016): 21-39.
9. Preradovic I. “The Lawsuits Over Swiss Franc Loans: A Decade Later”. Banking and Legal Perspectives 10.1 (2019): 8-19.
10. Lorenz EN. “Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow”. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 20.2 (1963): 130-141.
11. Frankl VE. “Man's Search for Meaning”. Beacon Press (1984).

Citation

Dragutin Novosel. “The Priest’s Children Movie - Croatian Butterfly Effect". Clareus Scientific Medical Sciences 2.1 (2025): 17-18.

Copyright

© 2025 Dragutin Novosel. Licensee Clareus Scientific Publications. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.