Danis Tanovic burst onto the scene with 2001's Oscar-winning "No Man's Land", set during the siege of Sarajevo. He's made a couple of movies since then, including 2010's "Cirkus Columbia" (Bosnia-Herzegovina's submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for that year). The setting is Bosnia around the time that Yugoslavia is breaking up. Divko, who has lived in Germany for twenty years, returns to his small town, accompanied by a new wife who looks as if she comes from the United States circa 1962. Upon arriving in his hometown, Divko evicts his previous wife and son from their apartment. But beyond this small town, the tensions over Yugoslavia's breakup are boiling over.
Divko comes across as the typical sort of person who forgets the ethos of his native land after spending several years away. In his case, he's rejected Tito's dogma for an obsession with money, even to his family's detriment. In addition to his new wife, his only passion is for his cat. But will the money protect him from the bloodshed soon to engulf Bosnia?
I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this movie as much as "No Man's Land", but I like how it contrasts the protagonist's changed attitude with the town's old ways, and also contrasts his enthusiasm with the coming terror. I hope that Tanovic keeps making these sorts of movies.
This was Ines Fancovic's final film. She died the year after its release.
Divko comes across as the typical sort of person who forgets the ethos of his native land after spending several years away. In his case, he's rejected Tito's dogma for an obsession with money, even to his family's detriment. In addition to his new wife, his only passion is for his cat. But will the money protect him from the bloodshed soon to engulf Bosnia?
I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this movie as much as "No Man's Land", but I like how it contrasts the protagonist's changed attitude with the town's old ways, and also contrasts his enthusiasm with the coming terror. I hope that Tanovic keeps making these sorts of movies.
This was Ines Fancovic's final film. She died the year after its release.