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Underground

1995

Подземље

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A COUNTRY

Black marketeers Marko and Blacky manufacture and sell weapons to the Communist resistance in WWII Belgrade, living the good life along the way. Marko's surreal duplicity propels him up the ranks of the Communist Party, and he eventually abandons Blacky and steals his girlfriend. After a lengthy stay in a below-ground shelter, the couple reemerges during the Yugoslavian Civil War of the 1990s as Marko realizes that the situation is ripe for exploitation.

Miki Manojlović Lazar Ristovski Mirjana Joković Slavko Štimac Ernst Stötzner Srđan 'Žika' Todorović Mirjana Karanović Milena Pavlović Čučilović Danilo 'Bata' Stojković Borivoje Todorović Davor Dujmović Dr. Nele Karajlić Branislav Lečić Dragoslav 'Dragan' Nikolić Erol Kadić Predrag Zagorac Hark Bohm Petar Kralj Branko Cvejić Josif Tatić Zdena Hurtočakova Albena Stavreva Tatjana Kecman Elizabeta Đorevska Peter Mountain Mirsad Tuka Batica Nikalić Desa Biogradlija Zoran Miljković Show All…

Alternative Titles

Podzemlje, Once Upon a Time There Was a Country, Underground - Mentiras de Guerra, Underground: Mentiras de Guerra, Підпілля, Підземелля, Андеграунд, Underground: Era Uma Vez Um País, Underground: Había una vez un país, Undergrunn, Пiдпiлля, Ъндърграунд, Under jorden, Pogrindis, Maa-alused, Bila jednom jedna zemlja, 언더그라운드, アンダーグラウンド, Yeraltı, 地下, מחתרת, Subteranul, Андеґраунд, 没有天空的都市, 地下社會, زیر زمین, მიწისქვეშეთი

Genres

Comedy Drama War

Themes

Humanity and the world around us War and historical adventure Politics and human rights Political drama, patriotism, and war Surreal and thought-provoking visions of life and death Powerful poetic and passionate drama Nazis and World War II Dreamlike, quirky, and surreal storytelling Show All…

Premiere

18 Apr 2024

China Beijing International Film Festival

Theatrical

13 May 1995

France

25 Oct 1995

23 Nov 1995

Germany16

21 Dec 1995

Netherlands16

22 Dec 1995

Italy

05 Jan 1996

UK15

06 Jan 1996

South Korea15

24 Jan 1996

Spain13

22 Mar 1996

Portugal

11 Apr 1996

Czechia15+

26 Apr 1996

Brazil

12 Sep 1996

Argentina

Physical

01 Jan 2010

Netherlands16

TV

19 Sep 2000

Brazil14

Argentina

12 Sep 1996

Theatrical

Brazil

26 Apr 1996

Theatrical

19 Sep 2000

TV14 Leda Films

China

18 Apr 2024

Premiere Beijing International Film Festival

Czechia

11 Apr 1996

Theatrical15+

France

13 May 1995

Theatrical

Germany

23 Nov 1995

Theatrical16

Italy

22 Dec 1995

Theatrical

Netherlands

21 Dec 1995

Theatrical16

01 Jan 2010

Physical16 DVD

Portugal

22 Mar 1996

Theatrical

South Korea

06 Jan 1996

Theatrical15

Spain

24 Jan 1996

Theatrical13

UK

05 Jan 1996

Theatrical15

USA

25 Oct 1995

Theatrical

170 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Andrew Boley ★★★★★ 10

Probably the best film no one hears about, Underground is so full of life yet soaked in death.
The director, Emir Kusturica has somehow turned the real world into a Fellini party, a Lubitsch romance with Alex Cox punk poetry mixed with Powell and Pressburger cinematic weight.
At 2 hours and 45 minutes Underground only ever rests when the chapter cards appear on screen. Starting with a mentally challenged innocent young man at a zoo trying to protect a chimp amidst a bombing raid. Two best friends who are firmly against Hitler's Nazis end up falling for the same woman, slowly pulled apart by deceit, war and lies. Ghosts are seen swimming in the lakes and underground basins. The characters…
Review by nick ★★★★★ 2

How do you counterbalance the pain a nation has collectively endured? Make the most absurd comedy about it, and director Emir Kusturica did exactly that with Underground, a 3-hour long war epic that will equal parts crack you up and bring you down, well, mostly bring you down.
Underground details a twisted tale of how a group of Yugoslavians are tricked into living underground for decades, unbeknown to the fact that the Nazi occupation has ended a long time ago. Kusturica never shied away from the graphic history of WWII in Yugoslavia, yet he managed to defuse the cruel nature of such reality by injecting offbeat comedic elements into the story, such as shoe polishing with a cat among the…
Review by Edgar Cochran ✝️ ★★★★★ 11

Underground is a (nostalgic??) homage to a national land that no longer exists despite its turbulent sociopolitical background. Kusturica breaks any possible boundary and increases the size of his scope gigantically, orchestrating a massive masterpiece of satirical humor, theater, war, Communism, music, trumpets, social criticisms, animals, sex, dance, kids, teens, betrayal, love, lust, surrealism, beautiful landscapes, war ruins, hilarious sound effects, WWII, audacious stunts, metafilm, slapstick violence and a monkey. Breathtaking and wall-shattering spectacle for the reflection of modernity!!
98/100
Review by EnteredTheVoid ★★★★★

If Federico Fellini had directed a Yugoslavian war epic it probably would've went something like this. Only this is better.
Review by Stephen Gillespie ★★★★ 8

A large amount of Underground is lost on me. It is so culturally and politically specific, speaking to a very precise cultural history and identity that I simply do not know enough about. The implications of this context are key to its overall meaning and make it hard for me to speak authoritatively about it.
To put it simply, I think this may be a masterpiece but I’m also aware a more informed viewer may be able to show me why it is deeply troubling. There are so many parts that I can’t parse, and are clearly aiming at something, that any diagnosis of them is hard.
So, those who are in the know, please inform me.
I will, instead,…
Review by Paul Elliott ★★★★½ 6

Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica orchestrates his distinctive brand of surrealism in this sprawling comedy-drama which went on to win the Palme d'Or at the 48th Cannes Film Festival.
It negotiates a highly turbulent period of Yugoslavian history between WWII to the Yugoslav War and follows the development of events of two companions over the five connecting decades. It's a tremendous and vastly off-centred historical roller coaster where practically every scene is a multifaceted canvas overcrowded with comicality and thunderous music in conjunction with genuine tragedy.
One of the films more significant strengths is its excellent use of magical realism over its length and breadth to communicate it's spreadeagled narrative of quasi-nationalist themes, and it dabbles and emerges as a broad…
Review by TheKinoCorner ★★★★★ 2

Upon rewatch I can safely say that this is an absurdist masterpiece.
Review by Blake Bergman "Various Spaghetti" ★★★★★ 2

"Underground" is a 1995 absurdist political comedy/drama directed by Emir Kusturica. It takes a completely interesting look at Eastern European, namely the Yugoslavia, at the beginning of WWII to the later Yugoslav War in a somewhat anti-war narrative that wages war with the viewers sanity trying to keep hold of the activity going on in context of the film. People running left and right with things blowing up, assorted zoo animals running rampant, and a musical brass ensemble all blaring their horns all throughout the presentation. This movie is pure crazy fuel, but still holds its ground to contain a deep layer of social political interpretations and context that is ever-present throughout it all. Surely, repeated viewings might be needed,…
Review by Jake Cole ★★★★½

Gravity's Rainbow for Eastern Europe's identity crisis. In my opinion, it does not trivialize the Bosnian War then raging so much as it sublimates the horrific endgame of Yugoslav identity confusion into a broader history of irreconcilable farce. The entire film bursts with a sense of buried tragedy, one where the absurdity of Yugoslavia's failure to adequately resolve its many ethnicities is proof of a childish primitivism that would have unfathomable consequences.
Review by Michael Stuhlman ★★★★★ 2

I can honestly say I was not expecting to be so thoroughly blown away by this film. The following is in reference to the 5+ hour version, though I plan on watching the cut version later this week. Not only is the story here a beautifully told parallel to reality vs the realities we create, but it contains such a pulsating energy that one simply can't take their eyes off the screen. So much happens over the course of the films, so much dark humor, so much painful subtext. I get why the film garnered some controversy as certain characters seem to be portrayed as stereotypes, but this again plays into the idea of realities we create vs the reality…
Review by LouisDeCyphre ★★★★★

𝕍𝕚𝕖𝕨𝕖𝕕 : MUBI

War and Peace
Wedding and Funeral
Fascism and Communism
Animals and Humans
Secrets and Lies
Life and Death
1940s ⇨ 1960s ⇨ 1990s
War ⇨ Cold War ⇨ War
Fiction and Reality
Love and Money
Guns and Flowers
Magical Realism and Surreal Comedy
Underground and UNDER̶GЯOUND
Emir Kusturica and Емир Кустурица
Review by Dan ★★★★½ 42

Woah what did i just experienced? Underground is an exhilarating 3 hours whirlwind of total chaos from start to finish. It's an exciting war drama combined with dark comedy, fast pacing & eccentric characters that constantly surprise with it's uniquely absurd and surreal moments & unexpected twist. The idea of orchestrating scenarios of war to manipulate and control others is utterly fascinating! Again, I knew nothing about the history of Yugoslavia so seeing this is such an essential & refreshing watch for me. Admittedly the theme is quite complex and challenging for me, but they are balance with such an entertaining tone that ultimately makes it such a rewarding experience
Overall, underground offers a unique and immersive glimpse into the history of Yugoslavia.…

Where to watch

Underground

Подземље

Synopsis

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A COUNTRY

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Alternative Titles

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Premiere

18 Apr 2024

Theatrical

13 May 1995

25 Oct 1995

23 Nov 1995

21 Dec 1995

22 Dec 1995

05 Jan 1996

06 Jan 1996

24 Jan 1996

22 Mar 1996

11 Apr 1996

26 Apr 1996

12 Sep 1996

Physical

01 Jan 2010

TV

19 Sep 2000

Argentina

12 Sep 1996

Brazil

26 Apr 1996

19 Sep 2000

China

18 Apr 2024

Czechia

11 Apr 1996

France

13 May 1995

Germany

23 Nov 1995

Italy

22 Dec 1995

Netherlands

21 Dec 1995

01 Jan 2010

Portugal

22 Mar 1996

South Korea

06 Jan 1996

Spain

24 Jan 1996

UK

05 Jan 1996

USA

25 Oct 1995

Popular reviews

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Cinematography

Executive Producer

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