Format: Internet video on laptop.
There are only a few ways to react to the memory of war. One is with horror and revulsion, and it is perhaps the most natural reaction, and the most powerful. There are many who react to war with a sense of adventure and excitement, which is surprisingly common, at least in film. There’s no lack of films that tout the military and suggest that war is something to be approached with anticipation. And then there are those who choose instead to approach war as black comedy or farce. Films like Kelly’s Heroes, Catch-22 and M*A*S*H certainly do this. So does Podzemlje (Underground), although this film is more about the aftermath of World War II and the politics of what used to be Yugoslavia than it is specifically about a war.
That being said, there is not a single thing that will prepare you for just how perverse Podzemlje is. The film begins with the start of World War II in Yugoslavia. We meet two of our three principle characters. First there is Blacky (Lazar Ristovski, who looks a lot like Judd Hirsch), who is married and whose wife is expecting a child. Next is his friend Marko (Miki Manojlovic). The two are out drinking with a crowd, and Blacky has been signed up as a member of the Communist Party to work with Tito. Blacky’s wife accuses him of having an affair with an actress named Natalija (Mirjana Jokovic). Her accusations are correct no matter how vehemently Blacky denies them.
