6 Recommended Eastern European/Russian Movies: Tracing the memories of ethnic groups and war, leading up to ``The Painted Bird''

2. "Underground" (1995) France, Germany, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria co-production Director: Emir Kusturica

A unique 1995 war drama directed by Emir Kusturica, a former Yugoslavian who won awards at all three major film festivals in the world. A co-production between Hungary, Yugoslavia, and other countries, 1985's `` Papa is on a Business Trip!'' It won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the second time.

In 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia, Marco, a communist living in the capital Belgrade, hides a large number of his comrades in the basement of his mansion and has them smuggle weapons there. Eventually, the war ends, and Marco is promoted to the president's aide as a partisan hero, but the underground residents are not informed of the end of the war, and 50 years have passed since they continued to smuggle weapons. In 1992, when Yugoslavia was in a state of civil war and chaos was deepening, a turning point occurred for the underground residents.

It should be noted that this film was produced during the Yugoslav civil war (1991-1999). Surprisingly, however, what characterizes this work is its excessive liveliness, reminiscent of a manic state, and its humor, which seems to be telling you to laugh off even the most dire of situations. It is not hard to imagine that the emergence of such an outstanding war comedy from Eastern Europe, a former socialist bloc suffering from civil war, had a huge impact on Western filmmakers at the time.

The biggest reason for the lively atmosphere is the frequent play of music played by a Romani brass band among the group hidden underground. Director Kusturica is a huge music lover who is also active in his own band, and this probably reflects his tastes. The film is also characterized by its skillful use of animals, and the film depicts elephants who escaped from a bombed-out zoo and chimpanzees who live with people underground. In 2011's `` On the Milky Road ,'' he also showed off his unusual love for animals, playing with bears and hawks.) This skillful use of animals is a feature shared by The Painted Bird, and can be cited as one of the traditions of Eastern European cinema.

Next up: ``Only the good will be judged.''