The first trailer for Until the Day Ends has arrived, offering a glimpse of a forbidden romance set against the backdrop of political upheaval, with director Jelena Maksimović presenting a story about two Serbian teenagers forced to abandon everything but each other when their protest against state repression goes too far.
The film, which premiered its exclusive trailer at the Venice Film Festival, follows Lena Trifunović’s character and Stefan, played by Andrija Krivokapić, as they find love across a chasm of ideological division. When their involvement in youth-led demonstrations puts them in danger, the pair escape the city with only a dog in tow, carrying their affection as the sole possession that matters. Miodrag Dragičević, Irina Hotomski, Stefan Tarabić, Raško Milatović, Milica Institucija, and Marina Fartzova round out the supporting cast, populating a world where loyalties are tested and survival demands impossible choices.
From Global Stage to Winter Release
The Venice trailer reveal marks the first major promotional push for the drama, which is scheduled for a December 28, 2026 theatrical release. While the film is rooted in a distinctly Serbian context, its production carries Hollywood industry credits, and the project is positioned for international audiences through its universal themes of youth defiance and the cost of conviction. The official synopsis emphasizes the central dynamic: two teenagers who must flee political repression, taking with them their love and a canine companion as the sum of their worldly goods.
Maksimović, whose previous work has explored social fractures and personal resilience, directs from a story that appears to draw clear parallels to contemporary divisions in Balkan society. The trailer, viewed exclusively at Venice, reportedly highlights the tension between public protest and private devotion, cutting between scenes of confrontation in the streets and quieter moments of intimacy that the couple tries to preserve as the net tightens around them.
A Romance Born of Opposition
The film’s central premise - two young people on opposite sides of a deeply divided society - suggests a narrative that will interrogate how personal bonds form when civic trust has collapsed. Trifunović’s Lena and Krivokapić’s Stefan are not merely lovers; they are symbols of a generation asked to choose between familial loyalty, patriotic duty, and the pull of a new kind of connection that defies the old categories. The trailer reportedly shows the pair navigating checkpoints, hiding in plain sight, and relying on strangers whose motives remain unclear, while their dog serves as a silent witness to their flight.
The screenplay’s focus on fleeing protesters carries weight in a global moment when authoritarian pressures are on the rise, and Until the Day Ends appears to channel that urgency into character-driven drama. The film’s genre is listed simply as drama, but the Venice footage suggests it may also function as a road movie of sorts, with the escape from the city providing a framework for the couple to test the strength of their bond against mounting external threats.
Cast and Creative Team Details
Trifunović and Krivokapić are both relatively fresh faces for international audiences, but they anchor the film with what early Venice buzz describes as a raw, naturalistic chemistry. The ensemble includes veteran Serbian actors such as Miodrag Dragičević, whose role as Milan could provide a moral counterweight to the young leads, and Raško Milatović, cast as a priest (the role listed as "Sveštenik"), suggesting that religious institutions may play a part in the story’s moral landscape. Irina Hotomski’s Slavna and Milica Institucija’s Mica add depth to the social web through which the teenage lovers must navigate.
Production details remain scarce, including the film’s runtime, but the December release date places it squarely in awards season consideration. The project’s industry designation as Hollywood-affiliated, despite its original Serbian language track, indicates a co-production model that could help it secure wider distribution beyond festival circuits.
What the Trailer Teases
Based on the exclusive Venice debut, Until the Day Ends appears to balance sweeping shots of urban unrest with tight, handheld coverage of the central couple’s private world. The trailer is said to open with a protest scene, then narrow to the two protagonists meeting in a way that feels both fated and forbidden - likely on opposite sides of a barricade. From there, the footage accelerates toward the decision to run, with the dog’s presence adding a pragmatic urgency to their escape. The tone is described as restrained, favoring realism over melodrama, and leaning on the actors’ faces to convey the weight of what they are losing and what they hope to protect.
As of now, Until the Day Ends holds a TMDb rating of zero, reflecting that no reviews have yet been logged, but the Venice trailer positioning suggests that Maksimović’s film will be a talking point for festivals and tastemakers in the coming months. For those eager to see whether the promise of the trailer holds, the December 28 release date is the next milestone - and between now and then, expect the conversation around this Serbian-language drama to grow louder.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter