Underground (1995)

Once Upon a Time There Was a Country (original title Underground) is a sprawling, darkly comic and surreal epic that follows two friends, Marko and Blacky, across five turbulent decades of Yugoslav history — from the Nazi bombing of Belgrade in 1941 through the Cold War to the break-up and wars of the early 1990s. What begins as a makeshift underground munitions workshop hiding civilians from the occupiers turns into an absurd, tragic reality: a black marketeer keeps workers producing long after the war ends by hiding the truth, and the lives of those below ground become a twisted microcosm of the nation above. Love, betrayal, opportunism and political theatre play out in a steady parade of grotesque comedy and heartbreak, with a recurring love triangle, shifting loyalties, and surreal spectacles (including carnival-like parties, allegorical set pieces, and even a chimpanzee) that turn historical trauma into mythic satire. What you will experience: - A mixture of broad slapstick and painful pathos — moments that make you laugh and then recoil. - Lavish, operatic visuals and kinetic, often chaotic sequences that blend realism with magical-realist fantasy. - A biting political allegory about nationalism, corruption, and the cyclical violence of history, told through intimate character drama. - Memorable, energetic music and carnivalesque scenes that heighten the film’s emotional swings. - Long, ambitious storytelling that asks viewers to accept stylized exaggeration and moral ambiguity rather than neat answers. Expect to be provoked, moved, unsettled and entertained in roughly equal measure: the film is as much a celebration of cultural vitality as it is an indictment of leadership and the human cost of war and betrayal.

Actors: Predrag 'Miki' Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic

Director: Emir Kusturica

Runtime: 170 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

7.8 /10 79 /100 8.0 /10 7.9 /10