"It's not a War until a Brother Kills a Brother"

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 2020)

Underground is another surreal tragicomic opera on a grand scale from Emir Kusturica. The film captures the 50-years of Yugoslavian history by dividing it into 3 parts: 1) The German invasion in 1941. 2) The Cold War-Tito socialist state period. 3) The ethnic cleansing and war period in 1991. All of it backed up by the constant cacophony of a gypsy folk band always in the background providing the action with its own soundtrack by legendary Serbian composer Goran Bregovic. Kusturica packs as much of this as possible into each frame of the film, the best scenes are the ones that featured the brass band marching raucously over the ruined landscape.
The story is set in 1941 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia we meet our three anti-heroes, the actress Nalajie and the two men in love with her, Marko and his brother-in-law Blacky two charming rogues who have been given membership in the Communist Party. But just as the two men are celebrating the event as you would expect in an Emir Kusturica film - the country is invaded by German troops. Blacky and Marko make the most of the situation, dealing in the blackmarket not only to keep themselves comfortable, but also using the proceeds to purchase arms for the resistance, many of whom are hidden in the underground cellar belonging to Marko's father. This epic tale of friendship, betrayal and romantic entanglement, set against the backdrop of 50 turbulent years of Yugoslavian history from the German invasion of 1941 is a deeply moving and masterful tragic farce from Emir Kusturica which earned him his second Palme d'Or. In the end, Kusturica presents an incisive metaphor capturing the dissolution of a nation in Underground.