User Reviews

A great movie. Someone should surely dislike it, but surely it will be impressed in your head and heart like the explosion of millions of bombs...a bang in my heart, absolutely stupend and upsetting...the bombs are inside of everyone, ready to explode and destroy your minds and bodies.

"Cabaret Balkan" comes at you like fangs on a snapping Doberman with is finely tuned and well crafted display of anger. An apparent cry of despair for the current social, economic, and political state of the Balkans, an open and festering wound on the face of the world, "Cabaret Balkan" actually shows little violence and almost no gore. What is does show is nonstop rage. A "Magnolia-esque" format with numerous characters in unrelated situations in lieu of a homogenous story, "Cabaret Balkan" trades plot for purpose and substance for effect. However, its sheer drama, the power of its performances, and the superb acting by a relatively unknown cast make this film pound-for-pound and dollar-for-dollar more powerful, gripping, and compelling than anything to come out of Hollywood in recent years.

In one night the 1990s, in Beograd, many violent acts happen almost simultaneously, having as a `touching point' linking all of them the presence of a cab driver. A car crash, a vengeance against a former policeman, a harsh dialog between two boxers friends, a paranoid man in a bus, the anger of a lover against the former passion of his mate, the jealousy of a boy friend, all of these feelings are the motive for an outburst of violence from locals. The Brazilian title (`Powder Keg') metaphorically defines the state-of-mind of the civilian population, ready to explode in a city without law in times of war. I liked the screenplay, the direction and performance of the cast of this low budget movie. However, living in Rio de Janeiro, this black humor theme does not surprise me. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Barril de Pólvora' (`Powder Keg')

If you know at least something about the events that took place in former Yugoslavia during the 1990s, you should be able to understand this movie.

Many people have misinterpreted this movie as a vicious depictment of some sick Serbian mentality or an exaggerated vision of a post-war Serbia. None of this is true. The theme of "Cabaret Balkan" is not violence. A great parallel can be made between "Cabaret Balkan" and "A Clockwork Orange". The violence in both movies is not the theme - it's merely an extreme way of proving an important point.

The oppressors and the oppressed. The small fish and the big fish. The dogs and the sheep (rock fans might find interesting similarities between this movie and Pink Floyd's "Animals"). There seems to be certain hierarchy present in "Cabaret Balkan". The passive majority is constantly oppressed by the violent minority, many of whom themselves are victims of "bigger fish". The passive majority is always ready to turn a blind eye, to look the other way or, as a scene from the movie so visually illustrates, sit on a different side of the bus.

Who should the war be blamed on? Is it the government's fault? Or is the fault of the people who elected the government? Should the criminals in power take the blame or the people who let them stay in power? A key scene of the movie which takes place in the bus seems to tell us the most about this issue. "You finally stood up to me", says the young bully to the old man who refuses to play along and answer his insulting questions. In a way, the young bully on the bus is the only real hero of "Cabaret Balkan". He is the only one with the guts to stand up for his rights - everyone else would much rather look the other way, ignore the situation and mind their own business.

The original title of the movie - "Powder Keg", draws its name from an old nickname the Balkan peninsula earned at the beginning of this century - a powder keg ready to explode, with multitudes of people constantly fighting wars, making up, then fighting again. After all, isn't that what all the characters in the movie do? The strange mentality of the Balkan people cannot be easily explained, so director Paskaljevic takes it into extremes and creates extremely surreal scenes, like the one in the boxing ring and the bar. Fight. Drink. Fight. Drink. War. Peace. War. Peace. What's it going to be? Doesn't matter, as long as we're all in "good health".

Very bleak and disturbing movie ridden with dark symbolism and utterly depressing resolutions. But what else would you expect from a film depicting a day in Belgrade on the eve of NATO's bombing campaign against Serbia. It is a great film though, but which deals with the dakrest subject matter, focusing on a society in the throws of agony, continuous degradation of the social fabric, and erosion of humanity under extreme conditions.

You can accuse it of being pretentious, self-indulging, or of trying to cover its supposed lack of substance by overwhleming use of violence, but you are living *here* in your cozy apartments, with your salaries and plentiful consumer goods while many people *there* actually experienced the life that is depicted in this movie. "Cabaret Balkan" is one gutwrenching scream of anguish and despair in the face of the harsh reality that people had to endure, and still do, judging by the latest news from Yugoslavia.

This movie impressed me a lot, however the fine details and message of this movie might very easily escape the unwary viewer. I was lucky to watch the movie with a friend from Ex-Yugoslavia who could point out what exactly lied behind every small gesture or circumstantial hints hidden in a single sentence.

The characters in this movie are in a constant dilemma, half self-inflicted, half caused by higher powers. Yugoslavia at that time is isolated - mentally, economically, morally. There is no valve to let of the steam, so the people take on themselves, murdering, plundering, threatening and raping. Almost every character is shown to be not fully guilty, but nevertheless brought down by their own acts of violence. The bus scene especially shows that the Yugoslavian people have forgotten to take their fate in their own hands. A young men is fed up with the system, his wasted life and the apathy of his people in general. The best scene in the movie for me

Tragic-comically ends this scene like the whole movie. The whole plot takes place one day before the Dayton agreement, another twist of fate, that just on this day those people lose their lives for nothing and absolutely nothing.

When you watch this movie you have to realize the deeper message has been made for the Yugoslavian audience to show them the mechanizations of their lives and their own guilt going with it. He tries to hammer this in the minds of the viewers hence the compressed plot and intermingling of scenes. A masterpiece.

Goran Paskaljevic outdoes himself with this dark, satiric drama-comedy. What he gives us here is Serbia in a nutshell, a post-war Serbia torn with crime, anger and mistrust. "Who's to blame?" is the central question here and the line is spoken several times throughout the movie, once in a particularly hilarious scene. The bus scene is the one that illustrates the situation Serbia and most of former Yugoslavia are in-chaos. There is no one behind the wheel, so everybody is trying to take control.

There is no way to write about this film without saying something about the cast. It consists of all the finest Serbian and Yugoslav actors (two of them, Trifunovic and Glogovac, are from Herzegovina originally and two are from Macedonia) and it is one of the cases where the entire cast is the protagonist. Particularly fine performances come from Miki Manojlovic, Mirjana Jokovic, Mirjana Karanovic, Voja Brajovic, Aleksandar Bercek, Nebojsa Glogovac and Lazar Ristovski. The storyline is incredibly well built and all stories and characters are equally good.

This is a flawless, high quality tragicomedy which will provide you great entertainment and watching experience, as well as a good insight into the situation of this country. It is a humanistic and poignant film with a message, a cry for help. Balkan-a barrell of gunpowder, a-hole of the world.

This is an extraordinary film by one of the world's most talented film makers, a dark yet compassionate metaphor for the ongoing tragedy of the Balkans. It was a distinct honor for me to participate in a small way in this production.

Yesterday, I stayed home almost whole day, and read the original play 'Bure Baruta' by Dejan Dukovski, then I read the screenplay for the movie, then I read the dialogue list from the completed movie and at the end I watched the movie (for the first time).

I was impressed by the play, slightly less by the screenplay, then slightly less by the dialogue list and then, slightly disappointed by the movie. I don't know what would I think of the movie if I haven't read the play prior to watching it.

The way I see it, all this play/movie is about is anger and despair. The play is even far more surrealistic with more killings that come out of nowhere, with more violence that comes out of nowhere with basically no character with a clear mind. Everyone is mad, but that madness comes from nowhere else but the tonnes of anger buried in their souls.

And that's what this movie is about, madness as a result of anger.

I just find the movie not so surrealistic, and therefore losing the power of the original text.

Now, few words on other users' comments.

I just can't agree with the users saying that this is about the Serbs, or about the Serbs at that very moment in their history, about the guilt or something else.

I also find it very shallow to think that the movies coming from Serbia should portrait the Serbs the way they are. Movies, as any other form of art are there to show some thoughts, some emotions which the author needs to express. Should we say that 'Clockwork Orange' is a bad movie for portraying Brits in such a way? Or should we think of all Americans as the Dumb and the Dumber?

What was happening in Serbia and most of former Yugoslavia is just a good setting for a story about the anger.

We're not really that mad.

Brutal sense of humor. Unflinching look at the base nature of man in a perverted world. No redemption pedaled in this film. Exhilarating and devastating at the same time. Best thing I've seen in years. If you like Cabaret Balkan I'd recommend "No Man's Land".

There where at least twenty or more characters who took us through the streets of Belgrade in one crazy soul-searching period. Each character has a destiny to meet and each one affected by the Balkan States of political chaos. While the neighboring states continue to abuse the human condition, our symbolic characters are tearing at each other on the streets of Belgrade, in one form or another. Every character represents a state of nationality or the social mayhem drowning them. There is the two boxing buddies who turn on each other after revealing past truths, (the same as the peaceful neighbors of different nationalities who turn on one another when the war heated up). There is the Taxi driver who took revenge on a police officer, (the power of police enforcement riddles the country with corruption ). The man who returns back home to reclaim his lost love after a five year absence and a pocket full of money, (commenting on people who left the country to make their wealth overseas then coming back to buy their privileges). The young Bosnian Serb refuge who teams up with the underworld to make ends meet because it is the only way to survive in a hopeless situation, (commenting on the power of the underworld, taking control of restless and lost youths with no place to go). There are so many criss-cross factors that director Goran manages to inter-weave them all in a Robert Altman style. There are some tales that take the pleasure away from the more interesting small tales, but each one had to be told so as to cover the whole spectrum of the Balkan States in a sea of frenzy.

Bure baruta is one of many Serbian movies, made on social drama of people living in the Balkan. It's an o.k. black comedy, but sometimes hard to watch, because of the reality of the life itself.

The performance of the actors is great, though it cannot compare to brilliant acting of two young Serbian actors in (by my humble opinion) in best Serbian movie ever made...Rane. The plot is not on the level too, especially if you watch this movie for second time. You get kind a bored.

Bur all in all, not a bad movie. I guess one, that you can put in great trio in movies, beside Rane and Lepa sela, lepo gore. Though, as i mentioned, this one is the weakest part and that's why, (still a solid grade)

6 out of 10.

Cabaret Balkan should be an excellent film. Unfortunately I found it way too uneven, redundant and emotionally distant to be entirely successful. Surprising to me is that it seems like no critics feel the way I do.

True, there are many moments of haunting brilliance, scenes that should stain the mind with their lasting impressions. The problem lies in the filmmakers overextending themselves and not allowing the madness and pain to play the realm of suggestion as much as it does concrete images. So many of the vignettes stretched on too long. Instead ending on the most powerful note, they lasted five or ten minutes longer, reducing the whole to a rather mundane mixture of hoodlum hijinx and human stupidity. I found my screaming at the screen on quite a few occasions, "CUT-YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT!"

EX: In Kurosawa's RAN(1985), the most chilling vision was not of massacres, the various characters plotting and backstabbing each other, or the thousands of dying warriors sprawled out in the fields of war. Rather it was the moment when the elderly lord sat down, silent, broken and strangely alien the surrounding violence, to realize what in fact he had caused.I believe this was something near the intent of Cabaret Balkan, unfortunately it was overstated rather than understood. It's easy to illustrate madness, violence, and evil. It's much harder to make us care about it.

And yet, after saying all this, I still WANT to like this movie. I would love to see this film re-edited to play up to the most powerful moments, allowing the characters to act truly irrational and unexplained, to allow the violence to really rub raw nerves. As it stands now, it's too easy to dismiss the actions of the characters.

As truth can be defined by the observer, it is also guided by the artist. This film is as close to truth in film as one can get. The state of the Balkans is one which cannot be easily defined, but understood, if you understand its peoples. The truth of this film lies in the reactionary maelstrom that has been the Balkans for a very, very long time. The film ties the lives together of many, equally bizarre characters and events which are tied together artistically by a collage of madness and life on the edge of it. Please do not miss this film, and watch it several times if possible.

This is definitely one of the best Yugoslav movies in last 20 years, if not the best. It is stirring, strong, deep, it describes the real situation in Belgrade in war times and another victims of Bosnian war although they are far from Bosnia, physically, of course. If you want to have clear and complete picture about the "happenings" on Balkan at the end of 20th century, and not only that, to understand the crisis and drama of the people who are involved in war in any way, you have to see this master piece!

A devastating film which shows the social degeneration of Belgrade, subjected to nearly ten years of conflict. Values normally taken for granted have little meaning, especially to young people who have spent all their formative years in a country rocked by instability and near social anarchy. Violence has lost its extreme nature by becoming an everyday occurrence.

The film is shockingly violent, grim and realistic in tone, occasionally descending into the realms of the grotesque. It particularly shows the link between aggression and the male psyche, the threat of sexual violence being equally prominent. Practically nobody is exempt from the fever of madness which sweeps over the city. Consequently, individuals no longer take responsibility for their actions and guilt becomes oblique and collective, which is of course when the atrocities of history happen. A hugely important film.

'Powder Keg' is one of the best, if not the best, movies that I ever saw. It shows the reality in Serbia today (the end of 90's) and describes the specific Balkanian mentality. At the same time it is very local, Balkan, movie and very universal piece of art. Wonderful, exciting and depressive, 'Powder Keg' is master work of cinema art.

An excellent film, Cabaret Balkan shows that when a society's rulers are corrupt and self-serving, everyday morality under them is virtually impossible.

A work of black genius.

Finding myself on a bit of a VHS watching spree, I settled down with my trusty Toshiba and allowed the tracking to take its course. The first film, a VHS rarity from 1998 (surprisingly no DVD option yet), gave the opportunity to tour the back roads of Belgrade without leaving the comfort of the couch. It was dark, it was disruptive, it was random; it was "Cabaret Balkan". Told in a storyline similar to that of recent films like "Babel" or "Amores Perros", "Cabaret Balkan" takes a socially dynamic state, gives the viewers a smorgasbord of one-dimensional characters, and allows the traveling to begin. As a tourist destination, one may consider booking another location, but as a cinematic endeavor, it packs light punches, interesting stories, and that seedy darkness that seems to follow Serbia wherever it goes. From one sad story to the next, we are forced to enter the lives of virtual unknown, to ask ourselves what would be our response in a similar situation, and to accept – willing or unwilling – that this film speaks the truth. That chaos is normal in Belgrade. To believe that a normal passenger, on a normal night, can easily become twisted in the evil that stirs in this cold city. "Cabaret Balkan" asks quite a bit from its viewers, in essence to extend belief and trust that these "endings" speak for an entire world, but if you allow your mind to watch, your belief to be suspended, "Balkan" proves to be spooky, entertaining, and vividly depressing all at once.

For those unwilling to experiment back with the VHS option, this is a film saturated in colorful characters. From fighting best friends, to a corrupt cop finding his comeuppance, to a bickering couple found in the worst situation possible, all the way to a man determined to win the heart of his sweetheart, "Cabaret Balkan" will take you on one wild ride. Despite our characters moving here and there, "Balkan" is one of those films that initially makes you think, "That was a depressing film", but after thinking further one can still say this was a depressing film, but it worked. It makes you think about the lifestyles of the less-fortunate in these areas, it makes you consider the place and the people – transforming what happens in Belgrade and putting into modern life, no matter where you live. That is why "Balkan" resonates. It takes over-hyper events and somehow settles them into reality. This is not an easy task as each "story" shows a different side of this city, or of the human relation, but as the stories continue to blend, adding layer upon layer – "Balkan" becomes a stronger and stronger film.

Alas, this isn't a film for everyone. Critics would argue that the inconsistent blend between the stories diminished the opportunity for authentic drama. Critics would argue that the disassociation between American audiences and what is political in Serbia would pull from the central focus. Critics would argue that not enough development of our characters hurt the overall effect of Dejan Dukovski's written word. In a small sense, they are right. "Cabaret Balkan" isn't without its faults, and casual film watchers would probably agree as initially this film just feels lackluster, but it is what remains in your mind long after the final credits rolled that makes this film applaud. It is a film that obviously tackled some difficult issues, in a place where difficult situations occur as the norm. The turning point for this film viewer was the story of the man trying to win his woman's heart. With orchestra and dog in hand, we follow him throughout his possible release until the climactic moment, but the eventual outcome of his sincere efforts is what shows the true horror that "Balkan" is trying to bring to light. My argument would be that perhaps it needed to end with this singular story, instead of the choice ending with the sadist and couple. To me, that story felt the least developed and utterly awkward. Realizing that it isn't Disney, it still felt choppy and misappropriated. As one small flaw for this film, in my eyes, would be this choppiness of getting from point A to point B. Perhaps it was the budget or just the lack of experience, but "Balkan" isn't subtle. The flow of scene to scene isn't there, and it demonstrates the struggles of our people (I get that), but a stronger frame to this film would have only heighted the experience.

This was a decent endeavour into a world I knew very little about. It is a film that resonates long after it is over. It continues to surprise that this little independent feature still hasn't seen a DVD light of day yet. A broader audience would appreciate what our director was trying to create here.

Overall, would I suggest this film to a friend or family member? I believe so. It had a strong enough messages, despite the lacking characters, and it felt fresh. It was dark, foreign, and sporadic – but it stayed consistent throughout. There were faults, many of which I mentioned earlier, but because of the final effort – it stood out. A DVD edition would be great, but this little VHS worked its magic well for a night where cinema reigned supreme.

Grade: **** out of *****

This harsh look at life in present day Belgrade is a basic 'Day in the life', but like none other I've seen before. Do not see this movie to escape from reality, because it will drive the horror of their situation into you. This is a hard movie to watch, but well worthwhile. The characters and stories are developed, and then the camera veers off into side stories which do not leave you unsatisfied, surprisingly. The movie is threaded around a cabaret performer who leads you into the film with the true statement that "tonight, i'm going to f**k with you". You are drawn into each character's story and plight of the evening, and then are easily drawn into their companion's story as well. Every story has the same ring to it, and the desperate sound of a people and a class being forced down and stamped upon. This film is the most important piece of work i've seen this year, and everyone who has the stomach for it should see it.

Replaces all definitions of cabaret, from a costume genre to something of substance lurking in the night. In this the smiling devil of our humanity peers over our shoulder. Upside down... eventually ultimately right-side up. Carressing your torso, secretly removing your heart, presenting it to you as if a gift, dripping red but, oh, so young.

A stark reminder that there is more to & more than happiness to treasure and stalk. The monster of happen is whispered in the silence of anguish, longing. Twisted innocence, evil; knowing, damned.

The movie captures itself wonderfully. It tells it's own truth of a repressed life with the people inside labrinthe bars, of a greater conciousnes. The cruel scriptwriter of the night.

Degrading rubbish like this should never be made.

The sense of pointlessness lies not just in the fact that there's no story. It's possible to get away with having no story. Rather, every scene is part of some larger story we never see. Take the boxing scene. There's something pleasingly surreal, and yet accurate, about it; it's perfectly paced and the acting is faultless. It forms part of a grim story that I'm not sure I'd like, but at least, in the context of that story, it would pack a wallop. Here it's in limbo. Previous and subsequent scenes don't shed light on the boxing scene - they duplicate it. And really, only two of the countless incidents in the whole film show any kind of creativity and humanity: the boxing scene, and the confrontation between the `street punk' and the ex-policeman. That's all there is of value, and it's not much value. They're fragments of good films that were never made.

Sure, this kind of work has an effect. It's a smorgasbord of things painful to look at: blood, bone-crunching, cocaine-snorting (something I find I simply can't watch), rape, hands bent backwards and rocks to the back of the head. It's impossible to watch the film without wincing at the constant brutality. And yet, so what? There are people who think that anything which "provokes a response" must be great art, but I've never heard anyone actually advance a reason for believing something so ridiculous, especially when the response is as automatic as a wince. I feel as if I've been served sour milk and then been told that I've just drunk something of aesthetic merit - because it made my eyes water.

In Australia "Bure Baruta" went by the name "Cabaret Balkan", a title which makes it all the more clear how much inspiration Dejan Dukovski drew from Bertolt Brecht - and that's not a compliment. It's hard to think of anyone more fatal to imitate than Brecht. Brecht was a writer so talented he sometimes created beautiful parables despite his most earnest, theoretically motivated efforts not to; people who imitate Brecht are never so fortunate. They merely induce headaches.

There are so few movies out there of this caliber. Though certainly a visceral movie, there is a feeling of connectedness with the characters that (though somewhat negated by the foreign language) makes this more than just an intense viewing. Sure, at the end, I breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the knot in my stomach, but the best part of this movie is its study of human nature on the edge. What makes this movie so awful to watch is not that the characters can be so evil, but that you know that they aren't inherently so. Please go see this movie now.

Having seen the play this film was based upon twice, I was surprised at how deeply affected I was by the movie. The actors, the writing, the direction, and the technical aspects are all top-notch.

There are several changes from the play, including some scenes and characters, but the overall writing and tone are very similar. One scene in particular which was changed was the train encounter between the drunk boxer and the young war widow. This scene's resolution was tragic and compassionate in a twisted way. It made me break down crying.

The movie is bleak, it's vicious, it's harsh, but it's so powerful and engrossing that you can't stop watching it -- like someone passing a wreck who can't keep their eyes off the man-made catastrophe. Only in this case, the spectacle is passing before the viewer, who remains stationary, transfixed, emotionally caught and bound.