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When Father Was Away on Business

When Father Was Away on Business

1985 · 136 min · SH · 7.3 (162 votes)
Dir. Emir Kusturica · Starring Moreno de Bartoli, Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović, Mirjana Karanović, Mustafa Nadarević, Mira Furlan, Predrag Laković · Music Zoran Simjanović
Drama

In a post-WWII Yugoslavia still under Stalinist rule in the 1950s, six-year-old Malik is oblivious as to why his father, Mehmed, has suddenly disappeared. In truth, Mehmed has been sent to a labor camp as punishment for acts of sexual indiscretion involving young girls. Malik's mother, Senija, however, has no answers, and the family must cope in the father's absence.

VIBE

A poignant, slow-burn drama exploring the quiet strength of a family navigating political turmoil. It feels like a faded photograph, capturing the bittersweet ache of childhood under the shadow of historical events, with a resilient spirit shining through.

melancholicsomberresilientnostalgicintrospectiveslow-burnperiod dramaarthousecharacter-drivensubtle realismpolitical repressionchildhood innocencefamily bondsresiliencehistorical trauma
muslimyugoslavialoss of loved onedifficult childhoodcircumcisionanti-communismcommunism1950s
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