LIFE IS A MIRACLE

Serbia, 2004, 154 minutes, Colour.
Slavko Stimac, Natasa Solak, Vesna Trivalic.
Directed by Emir Kusturica.

Any Kusturica film is something of a wild experience. His is a flamboyant aesthetic, capturing the verve, even madness, of Balkan emotions. It was seen in Underground and Black Cat, White Cat. Life is a Miracle is very much in the same vein. It is set in Bosnia, near the border with Serbia in 1992-1993, peace then war and the violence and madness that followed. While his themes of life, war, resilience of the human spirit are significant, many audiences will find his films too much, even far too much.

When there were so many sequences that brought to mind the words 'crash' and 'bash', a lot of other words ending in 'ash' came to mind to help the review of this film: brash, clash, dash, flash, gash, hash, lash, mash, gnash, rash, smash, slash, splash, thrash, trash - all of them bear on the impact of this over-exuberant and overwhelming film. Before the war breaks out, there are some mad goings on in this part of Bosnia even as authorities try to finish a rail tunnel. Three drunken young men shoot bottles from each other's heads, one of their mother's is a demented former opera singer, they are all football mad and the aftermath of a soccer match would get everyone's passport confiscated for hooliganism - but this is all presented as good, raucous fun. The men are also prone to bash women without a by your leave. This violence-prone storytelling tends to undermine the impact of the film.

Once the war starts, the violence steps up and, even though there is an unlikely romance, a dream of a happy future in Australia (once again a visa problem for violence) and a reiteration of the title, this is a bellow of a film.

1. The atmosphere of Kusturica's films, loud, hyperkinetic, flamboyant? The music, the exuberance? The overwhelming performances? Editing and pace, the score, the songs?

2. The film made in sequence, in the same places where it occurred? The Bosnian-Serbian? border? The mountains, the town, the football stadium, the railway station, the railway lines, the open fields, the tunnels?

3. The importance of the railway, the links with Serbia and Bosnia, the building of the railway, the scale model of the development, the building of the tunnel, the trains passing by, the trains carrying arms and guns during the war? The donkey on the rail track and the complications?

4. The title, its positive tone, the man commenting about the hen and the chickens and that life was a miracle? Survival, living through the war, the temptation to give up on life, suicide attempts?

5. The opening, the characters, the old man and his donkey, the later meeting of the old man who was thought dead, the donkey refusing to carry the burdens, in love, standing on the railway line, the key words and the whistling to get the donkey moving? The rail pusher, keeping his eye on the lines, discovering the man dead, the bears in the house? (And the symbolism of the bears and invading Bosnians?) The band, their practice, the mayor and his wife on the train, his assistant - who was to kill him? Luka and his working on the lines, the scale model, his wife as an opera singer, the young men in the car, singing loudly, the drink, the shootings in the tunnel, life at the station, the son and his mother with their regrets, her leaving the opera, his wanting to be chosen as football player in Belgrade, the band and Luka's place, his loving the railways? The main characters established?

6. The football match, the Balkan fervour, the abuse of the player, with the urine, the starting of the fight, the scoring of the winning goal, Milos as a hero, the fight and the pandemonium?

7. The war looming, the reaction of the Serbs, the Bosnians, the Muslims and the Orthodox? The derogatory comments on the Croats? Arms, their coming by rail? The growing patriotism, fears, hatred? The call-up? The soldiers, the training - and the misfire with the rocket going backwards? Going into action?

8. Luka and his character, seemingly quiet, the raucous surroundings, his own bursting out, his relationship with his wife, continually taking her to the hospital, his son, the trains, out in the countryside and not in the city?

9. The bear hunt, everybody assembled, the assassination of the mayor? People seeming to take this for granted?

10. The concert, its farcical aspects, Luka's wife and her singing, the Hungarian? The outbreak of the war? The wife fleeing with the Hungarian?

11. The war and its effect, the bombardments, the loud bombings, the son being taken a prisoner, the nurse in the hospital, her being taken, kept for an exchange? The angers on every side?

12. Sabaha, a Muslim, in the house with Luka, putting on the clothes, his hitting her, the growing friendship, the effect of her being in the house, the sexual liaison, falling in love, his not wanting to lose her, her not wanting to go back, the attempt at the escape, at the river, the dreams of going to Australia, her being shot, the tending of the wound?

13. Luka's wife, her sudden return, her angers, the discovery of Sabaha in the house?

14. Sabaha wounded, the hospital, the build-up to the exchange, Milos coming across the bridge, Luka running, his despair, wanting to get Sabaha? On the train line, the donkey stopping and the train coming?

15. The dream, he and Sabaha - did they have a future?

16. The war, the reasons, the campaign, deaths and destruction, especially of the station? The television commentary in English and the inane comments, the uninformed interviews?

17. The Balkans, the 1990s, the fact that the Balkans did survive - that life, for them, was a miracle?