Underground

The internationally co-produced (Yugoslavia, France, Germany, Hungary) film Underground presents a dizzying perspective of life during and following WWII centered in Belgrade. Each of the three parts of the picture forces the main characters into different relationships with one another based on the unyielding and unforgiving conditions of the world as it whirls around them. Overall this movie is a very black comedy set to the backdrop of a region's history, but many other elements affect the experience, and experience seems to be the most appropriate word for describing the act of digesting this work, which must be mentioned as well.

The bleak humor of the film I can only truly equate to the Cohen Brother's Fargo, but even that does not quite express the dourly comedic ease with which Underground disposes of human life. *SPOILER*The deaths of Blacky, Jovan, and his wife are glazed over with a surreal nature while Marco and Natalija's are given a comical twist as they wheel around in circles, madly burning alive. *SPOILER*From the crazy antics of Marco and Blacky at the beginning of the film to the laughably haphazard wedding, all the way up to the very, very strange ending, the film strikes a humorous chord despite it's contrastingly depressing backdrop.

The film resonates distinctly foreign in nature, but don't let this stop you from watching. The fresh perspective of World War II is enlightening, especially the (slightly out of place) stock footage from the era. The opening drunken-chase scene sets the local tone of the film as the band follows the two drunken men on a carriage as one aims a revolver wildly and fires. One thing worth noting is the disturbing lack of mourning for the deaths of dear friends and family; this gives the impression that death is not just familiar but almost mundane to these people. *SPOILER*It is fitting then that the last scene takes place in the afterlife where all the characters are reunited.*SPOILER*

Two complaints I had with the movie were the length, pushing three hours this film seemed to last forever, and some confusion between characters and relationships due to the pace of the film and jumps in time. So my suggestion is set aside a sizable chunk of time and plop down on the couch to watch this one. The madcap characters and their wild antics lighten the mood of this otherwise dark film, making it a very enjoyable film and leaving no doubt as to why it received the Golden Palm award at Cannes.