Underground

Underground tells the epic, surreal story of two friends, Marko and Blacky, spanning from World War II to the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. During the Nazi occupation of Belgrade, Marko hides Blacky and a group of partisans in his grandfather's large cellar to protect them. While they manufacture weapons for the resistance, Marko becomes a high-ranking Communist official in Tito's regime.

The twist lies in Marko's grand deception: for twenty years, he keeps the cellar inhabitants convinced that World War II is still raging above, manipulating time and feeding them fake news broadcasts. He exploits their labor to manufacture arms for his own profit while seducing Natalija, the woman they both love.

When the truth finally breaks and the inhabitants emerge decades later, they find themselves in the middle of a new conflict—the Yugoslav Wars. The film blurs the lines between the staged reality of the cellar, the filming of a propaganda movie about their lives, and the grim reality of the 1990s civil war, culminating in a surreal, dreamlike reunion.

At its heart, Underground is a biting satire on the construction of history and political myth-making. Kusturica uses the allegory of the cellar to demonstrate how totalitarian regimes (specifically Tito's Yugoslavia) kept their population in a state of suspended animation, fed by propaganda and fear of external enemies.

The film argues that a country built on lies and burying its past is doomed to repeat its violence. It portrays the Balkan conflict not just as political, but as a cyclical, fratricidal tragedy fueled by passion and blindness, suggesting that the "truth" is often just a conviction performed by those in power.

The 'Yugo-nostalgia' Reading: Many see the film as a mournful love letter to a unified Yugoslavia that was destroyed by fratricide, with the final floating island representing the memory of a multi-ethnic ideal that can no longer exist on earth.

The Propaganda Critique: Detractors argue that by portraying all sides as equally crazy and violent, and by focusing on a 'third party' (the Nazis/foreigners) or internal betrayal, the film whitewashes the specific crimes of the Milošević regime during the 1990s wars.

The Meta-Historical Satire: A more cerebral interpretation suggests the film isn't about the war itself, but about how the war is sold. Marko represents the state propaganda machine that invents enemies to stay in power, making the film a universal critique of totalitarian manipulation rather than a specific comment on the Bosnian war.

Underground is one of the most controversial Palme d'Or winners in history. Upon release in 1995, it was polarized: film critics praised its visual energy and Fellini-esque scope, while political commentators (especially in France and Bosnia) condemned it as pro-Serbian propaganda. Critics like Slavoj Žižek argued that by portraying the Balkans as a place of 'primal' chaotic violence, Kusturica exoticized the war and depoliticized the Serbian aggression.

Culturally, the film cemented the 'Balkan' aesthetic in world cinema—brass bands, wild weddings, and tragic comedy—largely thanks to Goran Bregović's iconic score. It remains a definitive cinematic text on the Yugoslav experience, viewed by some as a nostalgic elegy for a lost country and by others as a dangerous distortion of historical responsibility.

Audience reactions are typically polarized but generally lean towards high praise for the artistic achievement. Common points of praise include the unmatched energy, the musical score, and the surreal humor. Viewers often describe it as an 'exhausting masterpiece' due to its length and sensory overload.

Critics (especially from the region) often find the symbolism heavy-handed and the politics problematic, with some finding the portrayal of the war as a 'natural disaster' offensive. However, for international audiences, it is often rated as one of the best non-English language films of the 90s.