| Moreno De Bartolli , Miki Manojlovic
, Mirjana Karanovic, Mustafa Nadarevic, Mira Furlan - Ankica, Predrag
Lakovic
The Yugoslavian When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na Sluzbenoh
Putu) takes place in the early 1950s. The title is a euphemism:
because of the strained relationship between Yugoslavia and the
USSR, various private citizens have disappeared in the middle of
the night, accompanied by the police. One such "vanishing"
individual is Miki Manojlovic, the father of 6-year old Moreno D'E
Bartolli, from whose viewpoint this story is told When Manojlovic,
an employee in the labor ministry is whisked away to prison, his
family reacts with pride, assuring one and all that he is "away
on business" because of his fervent political beliefs. The
sad truth: Manojlovic has ended up behind bars because of his sexual
peccadilloes. The film details the tribulations of a fatherless
family struggling to cope with the financial deprivations of Communism.
Director Emir Kusturica won the Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm
award for his work on When Father Was Away on Business. |