Otac na službenom putu . When Father Was Away on Business
The story of this second film by Emir Kusturica is set in the confusing atmosphere of communist Yugoslavia emerging from Tito’s break-up with Stalin. A careless remark suffices for the government bureaucrat Meša to join many arrested communists. His imprisonment, however, had more to do with his wom...
| Other Authors: | |
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| Institution: | Open Society Archives at Central European University |
| Language: | Serbo-Croatian |
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Forum Sarajevo ; Sutjeska Film Sarajevo
1985
Yugoslavia |
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:586fd53c-3b4e-44d1-9259-43db36fc326d |
| Summary: | The story of this second film by Emir Kusturica is set in the confusing atmosphere of communist Yugoslavia emerging from Tito’s break-up with Stalin. A careless remark suffices for the government bureaucrat Meša to join many arrested communists. His imprisonment, however, had more to do with his womanizing adventures since he was actually set up by his brother-in-law, party official Zijo, attracted to gym teacher Ankica with whom Meša had an affair. The whole story is told from the perspective of Meša’s son Malik, a six-year-old with a sleepwalking habit who believes that his father is “away on a business-trip.” When Meša is reassigned to a work camp in Zvornik for ‘resocialization’, his wife Sena moves there with the family. In the more relaxed environment, Meša returns to his old habits but gets officially rehabilitated and the family returns to Sarajevo. During her younger brother’s wedding, pregnant Sena talks with Zijo about Meša’s imprisonment. In the commotion following Zijo’s drunken outburst Meša has sex with Ankica, who is now Zijo’s lover, and accuses her of betrayal; Malik watches the scene through a window. Ankica tries to hang herself, but the rope only flushes the toilet and the film ends with Malik sleepwalking into the sunset. |
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| Published: | 1985 |