ADFF Film Review: Cirkus Columbia

Film Reviews Sun, 17 Oct 2010 Written by Paul Kelly
Editor rating
 
 4.0 User rating
 
 0.0 (0)
Cirkus Columbia at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival

Day 2 at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival saw the festival premiere of Cirkus Columbia a heartwarming, funny and nostalgic film about post-Tito, pre/cusp of war Serbia (and particularly Bosnia-Herzegovina) by Bosnian director Danis Tanovic (No Man’s Land).

The film follows the eccentricities and subtleties of a pre-war, post-communist Serbia (which at the time included Bosnia) and captures a moment in time that today is long forgotten. The film picks up the story for Divko Buntic, who after living in Germany for 20 years after fleeing the Communist regime returns to his village in a new Mercedes and with a young, attractive, fiancée.

After evicting the wife he left 20 years ago from ‘his’ house with the aide of his recently ‘elected’ democratic Mayor cousin, Divko tries to settle back into his life, trying to make a connection with his estranged son.  He carries about with a sense of entitlement as money is thrown around the relatively small and rural town, aided by his eccentricities, with humour.

Using humour to carry what is an earnest and candid account of life in another time the film is beautifully constructed and shot, using some stunning imagery and the final scenes of Cirkus Columbia are some of the finest moments of the entire film.

The performances of the entire cast deserve a special mention, the characters become larger than life, but still contain subtleties that demonstrate human frailties. The dialogue is fresh, candid and above all else, light. It portrays a sense of calm at the start of the film, and with time presents a sense of dread that something large is on the horizon.

It captures a time, place and mood that now seems so distant for the rest of the world (but all too real for Bosnians), in a period that was full of hope for a better future, which, as we know, never quite came.

An amazing film, if you can’t get to Abu Dhabi to watch the second screening, look for the DVD online.

STARRING

Miki Manojlović, Mira Furlan, Boris Ler and Jelena Stupljanin

DIRECTED BY

Danis Tanovic

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

CIRKUS_COLUMBIA_CLIP_1_SUBTITLES


Editor review

Brilliant, extremely watchable tale

Rating:
 
 4.0
Reviewed by triplew.me
October 17, 2010
 
Last updated: October 17, 2010
This film has been one of the highlights of the festival so far for triplew.me - great story, dialogue and heart warming characters with a unique sense of humour - a triumph that should be viewed while you have the chance. Get the DVD if you can, you won't be disappointed.
 
 

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