Underground (1995)

• Year: 1995
• Released: 20 Jun 1997
• Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, United Kingdom, United States
• Adwords: 8 wins & 11 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114787/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/underground
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/underground
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: Serbian, German, French, English, Russian
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
• Runtime: 167 min
• Writer: Dusan Kovacevic, Emir Kusturica
• Director: Emir Kusturica
• Cast: Predrag ‘Miki’ Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic
• Keywords: world war ii, lie, anarchic comedy, cellar, resistance fighter,

	8.1/10
	79/100
	45% – Audience

Underground Storyline

Three specific times periods in the life and/or showing the personal and geopolitical legacies of Belgradian friends Petar Popara–affectionately referred to as Blacky–and Marko Dren are presented: during WWII from 1941 to 1944, 1941 when the Nazis started bombing Belgrade; 1961 during the height of the Cold War; and near the start of the Yugolav Wars. What the men have in common are love for their homeland and opportunism in looking out for themselves. Each will just as easily sacrifice himself to help the other as they will sacrifice each other to suit their own needs at any given time. The one constant through these phases of their friendship is the fact that shortly after the start of the Nazi bombing in Belgrade, they have hidden a number of their friends and family in Marko’s grandfather’s cellar to escape capture from the Nazis. The cellar is converted into a munitions factory, those living there making it their mission to make weapons to defeat the Nazis. Marko and Blacky, who have continued to live above ground “to do their part” to end the war, are living separately from the others and when the war ends they don’t tell those who are underground, so they just continue their underground life for their own safety. The world continues without them, and their names are listed as casualties of the bombing. Those affected by Marko and Blacky’s actions include: Blacky’s headstrong wife Vera; Natalija Zovkov, an ethnic Russian actress with whom both men fall in love; Jovan, the first child born in the cellar; Ivan, Marko’s brother who is an animal keeper at the Belgrade Zoo when the bombing starts; and Soni, a chimpanzee Ivan saves from the zoo.

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Underground Movie Reviews

lost in translation

It’s 1941 Belgrade. Blacky and Marko Dren are best friends partying around town. Marko enrolls Blacky into the Communist Party. The Nazis bomb and occupy the city. The guys start stealing from the Nazis and hunted as wanted men. Three years later in a rage of jealousy, Blacky goes on stage strapped to his mistress Natalija and kills her Nazi officer lover. Blacky is later shot while escaping. After the war, Marko becomes a high functionary with Tito as he elevates Blacky’s heroism through film while Blacky is actually still alive. Marko keeps Blacky and others underground manufacturing weapons under the false pretense that they are still occupied by the Nazis.

There is something about this movie that seems lost in translation. It feels like there is something being said about the ethnic mix of the characters but I don’t think it’s clear. It doesn’t explain the war in the Balkans which would be the most important aspect to explain for a movie of that time. The movie’s surrealism also takes away from any realism to the all-too-real situation.

“Once upon a time… there was a country… “

It’s always difficult viewing a foreign film without knowing the country’s history and politics, so for a Western audience that includes myself, I don’t know if the film carries much resonance. What I did surmise with “Underground” was that it was a surreal blend of historical drama, war time chaos, caustic humor and ribald farce. The central idea seems to be director Emir Kusturica’s blunt representation of political chicanery that fools an entire society, along with the corruption that allows certain individuals to thrive at the expense of others. One must suspend enormous amounts of disbelief to accept that a nation secludes itself ‘underground’ for decades believing a war is still raging on. I found the film to be filled with absurdist dark humor, though for my taste, it often seemed directionless and meandering. My viewing was of the one hundred seventy minute theatrical version, and shudder to imagine what the director’s cut of five plus hours would have required in the name of patience and fortitude.

Yugoslavia at its Strangest

The story follows an underground weapons manufacturer in Belgrade during WWII and evolves into fairly surreal situations. A black marketeer who smuggles the weapons to partisans doesn’t mention to the workers that the war is over, and they keep producing. Years later, they break out of their underground “shelter” — only to convince themselves that the war is still going on.

I know very little about Yugoslavian film, or Serbian film or any other film industry of the region. But this is some great satire here, with the sensibility of Luis Bunuel or those fine folks who made “Delicatessen” and “Amelie” (drawing a blank on their names, sorry). Who knew that war could be funny? This is the sort of war comedy that “Life is Beautiful” could only dream of being.