Brushing up against the horror genre, Nikola Tanhofer’s creepy, atmospheric Nije bilo uzalud (US: It Was Not in Vain) is a fascinating film from a fascinating country that no longer exists. Young physician Jure (Boris Buzancic) returns to his backward hometown to replace the local doctor, much to the displeasure of his cosmopolitan wife Vera (Zlata Perlic), but finds his dedication to science, such as typhoid vaccinations, unwelcome by the town’s more superstitious residents, many of whom prefer to consult the haggard, toothless, witch-like Charka (Vjera Simic) who mixes potions in a cabin on the swamp. If progress leads to events like World War II, who can blame them? Beyond the townsfolk’s resistance, however, is a greater threat:  some psycho is killing people, and Jure might be next. Unique about the film’s noir atmosphere is that it’s entirely natural: Tanhofer integrates moonlight and sunshine, rain and wind, trees and swamps, the tension heightened by Cipra’s moody score which sometimes soothes, sometimes screeches. Dynamic camerawork rarely defaults to standard two-shots, using low angles, Dutch angles, chaotic cuts during fistfights, and windows as frames during lightening storms.