Cirkus Columbia

Released by: Strand Releasing
Released on: 2.17.12
Director: Danis Tanovic
Cast: Miki Manojlovic, Mira Furlan, Boris Ler, Jelena Stupljanin
Year: 2010
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The Movie:

Trying to dissect the mess of the Serb-Croat war in 1991 is not an easy task and many films produced by its survivors focus on the human cost of that horrible conflict. Cirkus Columbia takes an allegorical approach to accomplish this and handles it quite well.

The story focuses on Divko (Miki Manojlovic) returning to the country after spending 20 years in Germany. Since the Berlin Wall's fall the Communists are out and he's happy to finally be returning to his family home. The biggest problem facing Divko, though, is that the home is still occupied by his first wife, Lucija (Mira Firlan or Rousseau from Lost, as I finally figured out), and Martin (Boris Ler), the 20-year-old son Divko didn't know about. He's also bringing his new soon-to-be-wife, Azra (Jelena Stupljanin), who's young and pretty smoking and full of the new life and hope Divko hopes to restore in his native land.

Divko's old pals are now running the show in town so he gets them to forcibly evict Lucija and Martin from the home so he, Azra, and his good-luck-charm of a cat, Bonny, can all move in together. It's made very clear that the older men are in charge in this society as Divko constantly orders Azra around like a personal slave - indeed, as they're walking about town one day, they pass another couple, the husband leading the wife who's loaded down with heavy cases of goods. The great Who line of, “Meet the new boss/Same as the ol' boss,” begins its resonation with the clear power/gender lines that are established. These easily prefigure the Serb v. Croat “order” of things in the land that will force everyone to pay such an awful cost.

Martin has a ham radio hobby and returns to his old home to continue using it, something Lucija strictly forbids as she wants nothing to do with Divko. Very quickly, then, the story transitions from the old way of things that the older man represents then to the youthful exuberance found in younger man. Martin accidentally lets Bonny escape from the house, plunging Divko into depression and Martin and Azra into teaming up to search for the missing cat. As these two are closer in age they begin to foment a closer relationship, one that edges ever closer to a positive union of the hopeful future.

As the war begins and starts edging closer to their town all of the characters are soon affected by it, being forced to make hard life choices about the future, what's right and what's wrong, and personal priorities. The window for escape opens briefly and is nearly derailed by jealousy and the “rule of law” for them all. It's only when the story focuses back onto Divko, the old standard that has to realize what he once had was gone and he can only do his best to set them free rather than trapping them in their fate, that the film is able to end on a more hopeful note. An uncertain future, as the bombing starts in the town and the inevitable war begins, is tempered by Divko dreaming of restoration and sincere exuberance - the kind he was hopeful all along to make out of his return to his homeland.

Video/Audio/Extras:

This DVD release from Strand Releasing comes pretty bare-bones but all the components serve the feature well enough. The Serbian-only audio comes in Dolby Digital 2.0 but rumbles where appropriate and doesn't miss any dialog. English subtitles are also the only option. The widescreen 16:9 ratio presentation fills the screen nicely with no noticeable blockiness in the darks or flaring in the brights.

A scene-selection and the film's trailer are the only other items available on this disc.

Summary:

Seeing the country that's soon to be ravaged by ethnic civil war from the eyes of the common people caught up in it is a powerful way to show the true cost of such things. Cirkus Columbia realizes that there is hope for the country, that there is survival but that is left to the youth and what was once a way of life can never truly be restored. It's a sorrowful realization but sobering and useful nonetheless.