After a decade of really heavy, dark films, reflecting the turmoil of the breakup of Yugoslavia ("Lepa Sela", "Rane", "Bure Baruta aka Balkan Express", and "Tockovi"), FINALLY a reasonably light take on the aftermath of some of these events. As you follow Labud, a Serbian refugee from Krajina, in his attempts to find his girlfriend Vida, and as he gradually grows to love Romana, the girl he meets due to a mix up at the "Happy Millennium" dating agency, you get the idea that life needs to go on. No matter how politics and events have caught you up, like it or not, in their whirlwind, eventually you land.... not always on your feet, but you land. And then you have to get up, and get on with it. This isn't easy, and we see Labud and Romana both struggling with their new reality as refugees, and also with their memories and consciences, which Karanovic represents in humorous, tongue-in-cheek, and sometimes touching flashbacks of their thoughts: Labud's mom, always working on crossword puzzles; Romana's uptight sister, always critical; the hairdresser girlfriend Vida, almost always washing the same poor extra's hair... It was extremely well received at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival, as evidenced by the long applause and audience comments during Q/A with Karanovic. One thing stands out from its Toronto screening: When I was able to thank Karanovic for showing something positive (even uplifting), he smiled and said, "I want to show the world that we [the various peoples of ex-yugoslavia] all have lives, too". Easy to forget that if all you have to go by are oversimplified headlines and CNN reports. Creative casting, creative approach, and just something that should leave you feeling hopeful.
