When Father Was Away on Business

11/10/1985 2h 16m 7.3/10

Overview

Tito's break-up with Stalin in 1948 marked the beginning of not only confusing, but also very dangerous, years for many hard-core Yugoslav communists. A careless remark about the newspaper cartoon is enough for Mesha to join many arrested unfortunates. His family is now forced to cope with the situation and wait for his release from prison.

Director

Emir Kusturica

Top Billed Cast

Mira Furlan

Ankica Vidmar

Predrag 'Miki' Manojlović

Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac

Mirjana Karanović

Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka

Predrag Laković

Kućepazitelj Franjo

Mustafa Nadarević

Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić

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Moreno de Bartoli

Malik

Reviews

deepkino

9/17/2025

7/10

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.