If unhappy people live in a sick and corrupt political system, they can end up feeling even worse.
For me, this is the takeaway from this overly long and lugubrious exploration of life under Tito in early-50s Yugoslavia.
We follow the meanderings of ostensible family man Mesa, whose mistress gets him sent to hard labor for making an offhand remark about the Communists. We also observe the sufferings of his intelligent but resigned wife, and two sons, the younger of whom intervenes when Mesa decides to pummel his spouse right in front of the children.
We see the evils of a political system that pits close relatives against one another, and can leave one asking, "What is the meaning of life?"
Many permutations of the familiar "Anniversary Waltz" run throughout this film, amidst wild chirps and cries of nature.
I generally don't trust Oscar-nominated films to be that good -- one can never underestimate the taste of the general population -- and this one is no exception. Although mildly thought-provoking, it doesn't amount to much.
For me, this is the takeaway from this overly long and lugubrious exploration of life under Tito in early-50s Yugoslavia.
We follow the meanderings of ostensible family man Mesa, whose mistress gets him sent to hard labor for making an offhand remark about the Communists. We also observe the sufferings of his intelligent but resigned wife, and two sons, the younger of whom intervenes when Mesa decides to pummel his spouse right in front of the children.
We see the evils of a political system that pits close relatives against one another, and can leave one asking, "What is the meaning of life?"
Many permutations of the familiar "Anniversary Waltz" run throughout this film, amidst wild chirps and cries of nature.
I generally don't trust Oscar-nominated films to be that good -- one can never underestimate the taste of the general population -- and this one is no exception. Although mildly thought-provoking, it doesn't amount to much.