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1985 • Drama • 136m

When Father Was Away on Business

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148 critic reviews

75%

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In a post-WWII Yugoslavia still under Stalinist rule in the 1950s, six-year-old Malik is oblivious as to why his father, Mehmed, has suddenly disappeared. In truth, Mehmed has been sent to a labor camp as punishment for acts of sexual indiscretion involving young girls. Malik's mother, Senija, however, has no answers, and the family must cope in the father's absence.

IMDb

Top Cast

Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović

Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac

Mirjana Karanović

Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka

Mustafa Nadarević

Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić

Mira Furlan

Ankica Vidmar

Predrag Laković

Kućepazitelj Franjo

Pavle Vuisić

Muzafer Zulfikarpašić, dedo

Slobodan Aligrudić

Ostoja Cekić

Eva Ras

Ilonka Petrović

Emir Hadžihafizbegović

Fahro Zulfikarpašić

Zoran Radmilović

Brko Pilot

Davor Dujmović

Mirza Malkoč, brat

Božidarka Frajt

Doktorova žena

Jasmin Geljo

Saša Petrović

Kum (uncredited)

Director: Emir KusturicaWriter: Abdulah SidranProducer: Mirza Pašić

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Reviews

deepkino

2025-09-17

70%

Emir Kusturica's When Father Was Away on Business is a courageous, funny, and deeply moving film that blends comedy, family drama, and political realism. The title refers to the lie a family tells a six-year-old boy to explain his father's imprisonment in a labor camp for a thoughtless remark that offended Communist officials. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.