On the Milky Road

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!

I guess this film was made so the director/starring character got the chance to kiss Monica Bellucci and fullfil a lifetime dream. Trully disappointed by the lack of serious plot and common sense!

This is my fourth Kusturica after the excellent Underground (9/10), very good Black Cat White Cat (8/10) and the fine Time of the Gypsies (7/10).

Those three all had something extra special going on beside the trademark imaginative eccentric direction of Kusturica films: Underground had an epic immersive narrative, BCWC an intense (quasi)antagonist, Gypsies a gorgeous outstanding song in Ederlezi. They all had expert acting, quality soundtracks and a lively energy.

On The Milky Road lacks that extra special something. The acting is only so-so (Emir himself feels miscast in the main role) and the soundtrack is merely ok rather than great. Energy is also lacking, which can't quite be explained away by the more advanced age of the protagonists. Some scenes just happen, the edits are clumsy. There's no feeling of suspense despite the later chase scene. Even the 'magic-realism' is a little underwhelming. While the ideas are good, the execution - or rather the direction of them - is lacklustre. Maybe because for most of the film the director was on the wrong side of the camera?

It's not all bad. The first half especially has a handful of nicely filmed scenes of village life, some fun eccentric ideas (that mad clock!), animal scenes are very good (except the later snake appearance betraying obvious CGI). The second half has some fine landscape shots. Humour is hit 'n miss.

For Kusturica completists it's worth watching. I've collected his other works and will get round to them eventually. Certainly a very original and imaginative film-maker. However, I'm not sure there's enough going on here to recommend On The Milky Road to anyone else.

If you like Kusturica, you'd love this movie. And if you don't know who he is, On the Milky Road might be a good entry point to his filmography. Nevertheless, although this is finally a movie on par with his output from the 1990s (Arizona Dream; Underground; Black Cat, White Cat) this is still a far cry from his beginnings in the 1980s (Do You Remember Dolly Bell? ; When Father Was Away on Business; Time of the Gypsies).

The crucial event for understanding On the Milky Road and, for that matter, Kusturicas feature films after the aforementioned Arizona Dream, is the downfall of Yugoslavia which marked several generations of its inhabitants, to put it mildly. Kusturica felt this traumatic event particularly strong, presumably because he was entering his prime as director.

At any rate, On the Milky Road offers a lot of music, shooting and emotions delivered with a trademark bravado of the author. Even the subpar CGI, in particular the snake, didn't spoil the impression.

And although there is nothing essentially new here you must respect the effort of the author. In fact, Kusturica wrote the script, directed the movie and even cast himself in the main role just to be able to cuddle with Monica Bellucci on screen. A truly remarkable feat.

I watched this movie at the Vue Cinema as part of the London Film Festival 2016.

A delirious "magical realism" that we have come to expect and love from an Emir Kusturica movie. He plays a Serbian milk man in love with a Serbian-Italian beauty played by Monica Bellucci.

We have a vicious clock, snakes that drink milk and wrap around people as a means of delaying them, female gymnastics out of this world and sheep that explode violently - not forgetting a literal blood bath.

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!

The backdrop of horrible warfare is almost matter-of-fact to the excessively romantic story that really matters here

This is cinematic anarchy in all its folkloric glory but it works and its highly entertainin