Underground
1995 · Movie · 170 min · ★ 7.7 · 83% critics
During World War II in Belgrade, two friends make a living through black-market weapons while the Communist resistance grows around them. One of them rises within the party by keeping a major secret and later leaves his old life behind, while the story moves through years of war, deception, and survival in a changing country.
Also known as Once Upon a Time There Was a Country
Where to watch
Watch free on Kanopy — also streaming on Kino Film Collection.
3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Подземље
- Years
- 1995
- Release date
- 1995-10-25
- Language
- SR
- Runtime
- 170 min
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.7/10 (781 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy surreal, darkly funny war stories with sharp social satire; Not for you if you want a straightforward plot or clear historical context, though fans of Black Cat, White Cat may appreciate the oddball spirit.
Pros: dark humor; bold scope; vivid energy | Cons: uneven pacing; confusing structure; long runtime
Themes
- world war ii
- lie
- cellar
- resistance fighter
- belgrade
- anarchic comedy
Awards & recognition
- Lumière Award — Best Foreign Film · 1996
- Palme d'Or · 1995
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1996 · nominated
Cast & crew
Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović
as Marko Dren
Lazar Ristovski
as Petar 'Crni' Popara
Mirjana Joković
as Natalija Zovkov
Slavko Štimac
as Ivan Dren
Ernst Stötzner
as Franz
Srđan 'Žika' Todorović
as Jovan Popara
Mirjana Karanović
as Vera
Milena Pavlović Čučilović
as Jelena
Danilo 'Bata' Stojković
as Deda
Borivoje Todorović
as Golub
Directed by Emir Kusturica