Underground (1995)

Directed by Emir Kusturica, Underground is the story of two friends, Marko (Miki Manojilovic) and Blacky (Lazar Ristovski) who fall for the same woman in Serbia during WWII. The story leads them through the cold war and finally the Yugoslav wars. In part one, entitled “War”, it is easy to assume that this film is an absurd comedy. The characters are all crazy in their own way and don't really fit in with the times that they are living. Blacky is a strong, but stupid patriot who after attempting to marry Natalija (Mirjana Jokovic) gets captured by the Germans. His friend Marko busts him out and hides his injured friend in an underground bunker in order to protect him. In part two it is revealed that he also used the opportunity to marry Natalija for himself and profit off of his and Blacky’s WWII stories while keeping Blacky and other family members and friends underground making guns so that he can continue selling them for years to come.

The tone between parts one and two shifts pretty drastically as the humor becomes less crazy and much darker and more satirical, giving the film a very bizarre and surreal atmosphere and quality. The satire of Serbia’s relationship to the war becomes evident as the characters and their entire universe becomes so detached from what would normally be perceived as reality in those times. Their reactions to everything are ludicrous and often humorous. Marko summarizes every character and the movie’s view on the subject matter with the great line:

“We're all crazy. We just haven't been diagnosed yet.”

The film has a dark view of the country and its people showing imagery symbolizing that the country, as a result of its citizens, doesn’t even belong with the rest of the world. Their country is one of deception, insanity, death, and violence. It doesn't simpily fall apart; it is torn apart from within. This dark and deranged world-view is sharply contrasted with the humor of the film and for this the tone is often erratic. That’s not to say that this is a bad film, but it certainly won’t sit right with everyone, regardless of whether or not they agree with the perspective taken by Emir Kusturica.

One thing certainly worth mentioning about this film is the mise-en-scene. The underground layer, which is meant to be both a time capsule of a different time as well as a prison both physical and mental, is a cluttered mess of references and memorabilia. These items turn the underground into its own parallel universe, but the insanity and outrageous antics of the cast keep it from feeling too nostalgic. In some ways, it is similar to the situation and apartment building portrayed in Goodbye, Lenin! as Underground involves the protagonist deceiving someone close to him into thinking that it is still a time that the world has already left behind. The clutter is a constant with this film and often the viewer can feel overwhelmed by the multitude of on-screen action. Though this is by no means a perfect film, or even a great film, there is certainly a topic here worth discussing and the film has enough in it (to a flaw) that makes each viewing different from before. I recommend it with a note of caution.