When Father Was Away On Business

Winner of the Palm D'Or for Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival, director Emir Kusturica's episodic tale of politics and the family in 1950s Yugoslavia is seen through the eyes of Malik (Moreno D'E Bartolli), a six-year-old boy who loves football and his Papa. Malik's papa, Mesha (Miki Manojlovic), gets into a bit of trouble when his mistress spills the beans about Mesha's discontent with the government to his brother-in-law, Zijo. Zijo arranges for Mesha to be sent away "on business" to a labor camp, and then marries Mesha's mistress. Naturally, while the audience understands what's going on, most of the events go clean over young Malik's head. And Malik has his own interests: a young, sickly girl and Yugoslavian football. When father finally comes home, relations between father and mother, and mother's brother, are strained, to say the least. When Father Was Away On Business is a lovely and poignant film about growing up and the loss of innocence, which expertly mixes comedy and drama to create a satisfying portrait of life in all its comic and tragic diversity. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--April 26, 2005--Koch Lorber,  135 min., not rated, $29.98--Making its first appearance on DVD, 1985's When Father Was Away on Business boasts a so-so transfer and features a 22-minute interview with director Emir Kusturica, a photo gallery, and trailers. Also newly available is Kusturica's Do You Remember Dolly Bell? Bottom line: comprehensive foreign collections will want both, but even general collections should have the sublime When Father Was Away on Business.]