When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
"Otac na sluzbenom putu" (original title)

Tito's break-up with Stalin in 1948 marked the beginning of not only confusing, but also very dangerous years for many hard-core Yugoslav communists. A careless remark about the newspaper ... See full summary »

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writer:

Abdulah Sidran

Stars:

Moreno D'E Bartolli, Predrag Manojlovic, Mirjana Karanovic

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Moreno D'E Bartolli	...	Malik
Predrag Manojlovic	...	Mehmed Mesa Zolj (as Miki Manojlovic)
Mirjana Karanovic	...	Senija Sena Zolj
Mustafa Nadarevic	...	Zijah Zijo Zulfikarpasic
Mira Furlan	...	Ankica Vidmar
Predrag Lakovic	...	Kucepazitelj Franjo
Pavle Vujisic	...	Dedo Muzamer
Slobodan Aligrudic	...	Ostoja Cekic
Eva Ras	...	Ilonka Petrovic
Aco Djorcev	...	Dr. Ljahaov (as Aleksandar Dorcev)
Emir Hadzihafizbegovic	...	Mladji ujak
Zoran Radmilovic	...	Pilot
Jelena Covic	...	Natasa
Tomislav Gelic	...	Berberin Hamdo
Davor Dujmovic	...	Brat Mirza

Storyline

Tito's break-up with Stalin in 1948 marked the beginning of not only confusing, but also very dangerous years for many hard-core Yugoslav communists. A careless remark about the newspaper cartoon is enough for Mesha to join many arrested unfortunates. His family is now forced to cope with the situation and wait for his release from prison. The story is told from the perspective of Malik, his young son who believes the mother's story about father being "away on business".

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Plot Keywords:

anti communist | child nudity | political prisoner | sarajevo yugoslavia | infant nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Films sans Frontières [fr]

Country:

Yugoslavia

Language:

Serbian Hungarian

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

When Father Was Away on Business

Filming Locations:

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centar Film, Forum Sarajevo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Maradona by Kusturica (2008)

User Reviews

a child's-eye view of Eastern European politics

The background may be confusing to viewers unfamiliar with post-WWII Balkan history, but this was never (thankfully) meant to be a big-screen social studies lesson. The film is a sentimental (but never mawkish) drama of family life behind the Iron Curtain, as seen through the often glazed eyes of an eight-year old Yugoslav boy (prone to episodes of somnambulism) whose father is arrested for making a casual criticism of an editorial cartoon. Rather than taking potshots at easy political targets, director Emir Kusterica focuses instead on smaller, more intimate conflicts, recounting moments of family affection and bitterness with an understated humor transcending national and cultural borders.