Films from the former Yugoslavia are pretty much always about the war. Or have the war as a backdrop. Or deal with the aftermath of the war. And On the Milky Road is no different, at least in that respect. Of course, since it’s Kusturica, it’s not just grit and trenches and misery, but silliness, laughter, love and music.
It’s well-paced; often quick, never boring, and it slows down when it needs to. It feels like Rube Goldberg is in the works, both contraption-wise and in the chain of events that shape the stories. The landscape is stunning, there are some memorable acting performances (Sloboda Micalovic as Milena shines particularly bright) and every scene involving animals is dramatic, funny, beautiful or, you know, all of the above.
It’s not very coherent, though, and sometimes it feels that Kusturica is just being Kusturica for the sake of it. Still, highly entertaining.
Failed the Bechdel test
4 geese of 6
