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Underground

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7.8/10 • 661

1995-05-132h 50m

ComedyDramaWar

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A COUNTRY

A group of Serbian socialists prepares for the war in a surreal underground filled by parties, tragedies, love and hate.

Directors
Emir Kusturica
Writters
Emir Kusturica, Dušan Kovačević
Editors
Emir Kusturica, Branka Čeperac

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Miki Manojlović

    Miki Manojlović

    Marko Dren

  2. Lazar Ristovski

    Lazar Ristovski

    Petar 'Crni' Popara

  3. Mirjana Joković

    Mirjana Joković

    Natalija Zovkov

  4. Slavko Štimac

    Slavko Štimac

    Ivan Dren

  5. Ernst Stötzner

    Ernst Stötzner

    Franc

  6. Srđan 'Žika' Todorović

    Srđan 'Žika' Todorović

    Jovan Popara

  7. Mirjana Karanović

    Mirjana Karanović

    Vera

  8. Milena Pavlović Čučilović

    Milena Pavlović Čučilović

    Jelena

  9. Danilo 'Bata' Stojković

    Danilo 'Bata' Stojković

    Deda

Reviews2

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Filipe Manuel Neto Avatar

Filipe Manuel Neto

Apr 20, 2023

3/10

A black comedy made for a restricted audience. The film follows much of Yugoslav history, from its occupation by the Germans during World War II to its dismemberment. This is done through a small handful of characters: Marko and Blacky are friends, but follow different life paths: one becomes a kind of boss of the Communist Party, the other the head of a clandestine arms factory, which helps the another to get rich Directed by Emir Kusturica, it's a rather surreal and hard-to-understand film that feels like it was made for a niche audience that I don't belong to. There is something deeply cynical about all this, especially if we consider the critical way in which the director thought of the film: it is a film that does not bother to explain historical events, presumes that we already know them, and works on them in order to criticize the way we look at war heroes. I honestly prefer not to talk too much about the cast because I don't know any of those involved. Anyway, I feel they did a pretty satisfying job, considering the film it is and what the director wanted to do. The script has a lot of black humor, sometimes of debatable taste, and there are a number of issues that, if we think about it, make us question the plausibility of the script. For example, how is it possible for a group of people to stay hidden underground for so long without knowing what is going on in the world around them. It does not make sense. Technically, the film has excellent sets and a very well achieved cinematography. The editing is, however, a little poorly done as the film fails to maintain a regular pace, with several scenes too long. But what tired and irritated me the most was the strident soundtrack, dominated by a brass band and songs, with an adequate Slavic sound, but exaggeratedly strong and flashy.

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Status
Released
Original Language
Serbian
Budget
$14,000,000.00
Revenue
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Keywords
world war iiliecellarresistance fighterbelgradeanarchic comedy