Papa est en voyage d'affaires

A film about the life of a devoted partisan in the difficult 1950s and 1960s of Tito's Yugoslavia through the eyes of his son. Kusturica has an extraordinarily refined narrative talent. His film (as is typical) occupies quite a large historical section and allows the viewer to experience communism in the Balkans through the fate of one family. Miki Manojlovič in the main role (Kusturic's court actor) is traditionally flawless, and the director does not draw emotions from the viewer by cheaply piling up "impressive" scenes - on the contrary, the father's charm on a business trip lies in the meticulous detail with characters and a sensitive conception of those really emotional scenes (e.g., the arrival of the family to see the father at the work camp). The story of the main hero's adolescence winds like a thread, and it all sticks together surprisingly well. (28/01/2004)