Underground: Mentiras de Guerra

Those who have seen "Underground" have probably noticed that we are not watching one film but a collection of at least 10 films in one single masterpiece!!

I watched with great enthusiasm the work of Kusturica after "Underground" in films like "Arizona Dream" or "Black Cat White Cat" films which prove to be more elaborate and "smoother" in terms of direction (brilliant works as well!!) but none of these films could ever equal the "nerve" and strength of a very young Kusturica at his best! One could see the passion and boldness that is at stake in this motion picture. It's as if he gambled his own life doing "Underground"

How else can you describe this work of art if not a mixture of devilish and holy images that take the shape of a flawless piece of theater-dance!!

The actors speak, dance and create (more than interpret) with a vigor rarely found outside the Balkan Circle!

In terms of theatrical aesthetics the film incorporates Stanislavski( realism at its best), Brecht (at certain points the actors step out of their roles and mock at themselves) and Artaud (they are flames more than humans)

Needless to say more!

Shocking, raw, heart-breaking!!

One of the most beautiful I have ever seen! 10/10

Kusturica believes (and so do I) that countries don't fall apart but are actively ripped apart. So if you want to see a short summary of Yugoslav history 1941-92 and an artist's view of why it fell apart, this movie will tell you more about it than many political books or articles. Almost everybody is portrayed with varying degrees of guilt: the communists for lying to the people, Germany for bombing Belgrade in 1941, Germany again for supplying the weapons in 1991, all nationalists... Please do not be surprised if you read negative reviews for Kusturica has stepped on many folks' feet. Invest some time, it's one of the best films in the past 15-20 years. BTW: The soundtrack is excellent, go listen.

If you get a chance to see this projected on a sheet in an unheated high school gym with hard chairs and flat Pepsi, DON'T MISS IT. You can get a VHS copy--DO IT. (Unfortunately, there's no DVD ... YET, right, New Yorker Films?) I walked into an art house theatre in Nashville, Tennessee, no reviews, no word of mouth, just this poster of a woman wearing a red dress, her arms wrapped around the barrel of a tank's cannon. I came out one second (or was it two and half hours?) later a different person. People and movies are imperfect things--this one is messy, joyous, horrific, ecstatic, beat, danceable, romantic, provocative, drunk--this movie tastes like Slivovitz and sounds like Heaven's carnival. And there's a monkey. Once there was a country ...

While attending college in Boston a Croatian friend of mine told me about this movie. I rented it a few days later, and let me say this is one of the greatest foreign films I have seen. While the historical and political substance of the film is largely missed by me, the story is strong enough that I connected emotionally with it. The humor of the film is very refreshing, being used to war films that are too heavy or dull to make me laugh. I recommend this film to anyone who appreciates a well told story. You will be rewarded with a beautiful picture.

Underground is without a doubt, one of the very finest movies to emerge from Europe. After seeing Underground, one realizes that one has just witnessed cinema at one of it's highest levels. This movie is what "The Tin Drum" was supposed to be, and so much more. Absolutely Brilliant on all levels.