On the Milky Road

It took years(4 years!) for Kusturica, the great Fellini copycat, to finish this movie, and I just realized why. This movie is just an elaborate framework for Kusturica to pork and rub against Monica Belucci, and he does it plenty in the movie. There are scenes where they're alone in the well, alone in the tree canopy, alone amidst the flock of sheep, alone in the river... His goal accomplished, he got plenty of time with his muse, how did he call her, a true European film diva so different than Hollywood actresses, or something similar. The same European diva that starred in big Hollywood franchises like Matrix and Bond movies, that starred in crappy Hollywood action movies opposite Clive Owen, Bruce Willis or Nic Cage?! Oh-oh, looks like his muse isn't that much different from Kusturica's arch-nemesis Angelina 'Maleficent' Jolie, after all.

'What about the movie, yo?!' If you're by any chance, a Johnny Depp fan(or who knows, maybe you're a Vincent 'The Brown Bunny' Gallo fan) you may have watched 'Arizona Dream'. Well, this movie is exactly the same like that one. Slapstick comedy + tragedy(violence) + episodes of soulful Balkan ethno music, it's all here too.

After watching this movie I officially ordain Kusturica the badge of 'Tommy Wiseau of European Cinema'. Who knows, if Wiseau had Kusturica's resources and the pristine backgrounds of REPUBLIKA SRPSKA to shoot his movies at, maybe his achievements would be greater.

Conclusion: Kusturica has the brains and the looks to play the Frankenstein in the next Universal's revivals of the character, if their negotiations with Javier Bardem fail.

Fans of Kusturica will not only recognize all the trademarks - the general hilarious feel, the music, the rhythm, the fast transitions from ugly to beautiful, from comic to tragic, from realism to surrealism - but will probably also enjoy them. To a degree. Because this film suffers precisely from that: we have seen it all before. Despairingly, no signs that Kusturica is exploring new grounds. Worse, it doesn't seem he is interested in exploring new grounds. Worst, it seems he doesn't care about offering anything new. On the contrary, this film is a kind of regression: the basic story is not interesting at best and sloppy at worst, the characters have no depth, and the machismo is as frustrating as ever. Don't expect subtle messages here, but do expect the bravado of another carnival. Having said all this, as the saying goes, the subversion of the cultural distinction between human and animals is pretty good.

When I watch Emir Kustirica' s last film ''On The Milky Road'' with Monica Bellucci , 2016 , I realize that the director is far away from "Do You Remember Dolly Bell?" , 1981 and "When Father Was Away on Business" , 1985 for good. And there is no return to those old days. I am in deep sorrow on behalf of creative and naive Balkan cinema forever.

Those splendid days will never come back. The director is falling like a heavy stone since ''Underground'' , 1995. Even Monica Bellucci is not able to rescue this old guy.

This is confident, assured and exhilarating cinema, and comes highly recommended.The first five minutes are completely overwhelming, and you wonder how much more of this frenetic pace will be tolerable; it's questionable whether this gives way to something calmer or you just tune in to it all, but the first half of the film is a dizzying, intoxicating whirlwind that demonstrates just how accomplished Kusturica is as a director (he's not too shabby in front of the camera, either).This is cinematic anarchy in all its folkloric glory.

The plot gets a bit over-tangled but there is nothing too over-the-top for Kusturica especially when trying to resolve a difficult situation, not even flying!

Thin,meandering, and overlong, but what heart and imagery!

One point for Monica Bellucci, one point for Kusturica, because he did make good movies (20 years ago) and one final point for the breathtaking scenery of Bosnia and Hercegovina, because it is truly a beautiful country, that I love very much. Else the movie is lost in over-accented symbolism, meandering but pointless search for goodness in the middle of the Bosnian war, and story that is so banal, that an evening cartoon for kids has a stronger plot.