Life is a Miracle (Zivot je Cudo) Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2004

Luka lives with his wife and son Milo in Bosnia. Right before the outbreak of the Civil War in 1992, Milo is sent to the army. Luka’s wife cheats on him and goes to live with a Hungarian immigrant. Once the war begins, Milo is captured and sent to jail. One of Luka’s friends brings a young and beautiful Muslim girl who he kidnapped. The plan is to keep her in the house as a hostage and later use her to free his son, in a sort of exchange. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Luka, he falls in love with her, and when the war is over, and people go back to their original towns, she must leave, and his wife and son come back to him. Luka feels sad because he has now lost his new love.

As is Director Emir Kusturica’s style, the film is full of parties and people dancing, drinking and celebrating for every possible reason. The two and a half hours of the film go by quite fast, thanks in part to the many action scenes. Kusturica has been greatly influenced by the tragic Civil War of his country, the former Yugoslavia. He expresses his points of view in this and other previous films, like Underground, for which he won the Palme d’Or in Cannes.