View source for When Father Was Away on Business

{{Short description|1985 film by Emir Kusturica}}
{{Infobox film
  | name = When Father Was Away on Business
  | image = WhenFather.jpg
  | director = [[Emir Kusturica]]
  | producer = [[Mirza Pašić]]
  | writer = [[Abdulah Sidran]]
  | starring  = [[Moreno De Bartoli]]<br>[[Miki Manojlović]]<br>[[Mirjana Karanović]]<br>[[Mustafa Nadarević]]<br>[[Mira Furlan]]<br>[[Davor Dujmović]]<br>[[Predrag Laković]]<br>[[Pavle Vujisić]]
  | music = [[Zoran Simjanović]]
  | cinematography = [[Vilko Filač]]
  | editing = [[Andrija Zafranović]]
  | studio  =[[Centar Film]]<br/>[[Forum Sarajevo]]
  | distributor =[[Scotia International Filmverleih]] (1985) (West Germany)<br/>[[Cannon Film Distributors]] (USA) (subtitled)<br/>[[Hollydan Works]] (2007-2008) (Non-US)<br/>[[Koch Lorber Films]] (2005) (USA)
  | released = {{Film date|1985|01|15|SFR Yugoslavia|1985|09|12|West Germany|df=yes}}
  | runtime = 136 minutes
  | country = [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]
  | language = [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]]
  | gross = $25,053 <small>(West Germany only)</small><br>$16,131 <small>(USA only)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=whenfatherawayonbusiness.htm |title=When Father Was Away on Business |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref></small>
  | budget =
    }}

'''''When Father Was Away on Business''''' ({{lang-sh-Latn-Cyrl|Otac na službenom putu|Отац на службеном путу}}) is a 1985 [[Cinema of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav film]] by director [[Emir Kusturica]]. The screenplay was written by the dramatist [[Abdulah Sidran]]. Its subtitle is ''A Historical Love Film'' and it was produced by Centar Film and Forum, production companies based in Sarajevo.

Set in post-[[World War II]] [[Communist Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] during the [[Informbiro period]], the film tells the story from the perspective of a boy, Malik, whose father Meša ([[Miki Manojlović]]) was sent to a [[labour camp]]. ''When Father Was Away on Business'' won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[1985 Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]].

==Plot==
In June 1950, a local neighbourhood drunk, Čika Franjo, serenades field workers. He sings [[Yu-Mex|Mexican songs]] out of self-preservation, figuring it's safer for him to steer clear of songs originating from either of the two dominant global [[superpower]]s—the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]]—in the prevailing climate of the [[Cold War]]. [[Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] is experiencing a paranoid and repressive internal apparatus looking to identify and remove [[enemies of the state]] in the wake of the [[Tito–Stalin Split]]. The local children, including Malik, climb trees and play around. Malik's mother, Sena, tells him that his father is on a business trip, while Malik is a chronic sleepwalker. His father, communist functionary Meša, was, in fact, sent to a labour camp by his own brother-in-law, Sena's brother Zijo, who is an even higher-positioned Communist functionary. Meša had made a remark about a political cartoon regarding the Tito–Stalin Split in the ''[[Politika]]'' newspaper.

Malik gets circumcised by his father's brother.

After a while, Meša's wife and children rejoin him in [[Zvornik]]. Malik meets and falls in love with Maša, the daughter of a Russian doctor, but last sees her when an ambulance takes her away.

At the wedding of his maternal uncle Fahro, Malik witnesses his father's affair with a woman pilot. She later tries to commit suicide by using a toilet's flush cord. Sena reconciles with her brother Zijah, who has been diagnosed with diabetes.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* Moreno de Bartoli as Malik Malkoč
* [[Miki Manojlović]] as Mehmed "Meša" Malkoč
* [[Mirjana Karanović]] as Senija "Sena" Malkoč ([[née]] Zulfikarpašić)
* [[Mira Furlan]] as Ankica Vidmar
* [[Mustafa Nadarević]] as Zijah "Zijo" Zulfikarpašić
* [[Predrag Laković]] as Franjo
* [[Pavle Vujisić]] as Muzafer Zulfikarpašić
* [[Slobodan Aligrudić]] as Ostoja Cekić
* Aleksandar Dorčev as Dr. Evgeni Liakhov
* Silvija Puharić as Masha Liakhov
* [[Emir Hadžihafizbegović]] as Fahro Zulfikarpašić
* [[Davor Dujmović]] as Mirza Malkoč
* [[Eva Ras]] as Ilonka Petrović
* Jelena Čović as Nataša Petrović
* Amer Kapetanović as Serjoža Petrović
* [[Zoran Radmilović]] as Brko Pilot
* Tomislav Gelić as Hamdo Malkoč, barber and circumciser 
* [[Zaim Muzaferija]] as the President
}}

==Reception==
The writer [[Danilo Kiš]] described the film as "an artistic and moral endeavour."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Đerić|first=Zoran|title=Poetika srpskog filma|publisher=Besjeda|year=2009|location=Banja Luka|pages=250}}</ref>

In ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Janet Maslin]] credited the film for "a humorous, richly detailed portrait" of its characters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02E1D81539F93BA1575AC0A963948260 |title=FILM FESTIVAL; 'WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY' |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=28 September 1985 |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023200008/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/28/movies/film-festival-when-father-was-away.html |archive-date=October 23, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' critic [[Richard Corliss]] said the film was worth seeing despite the lack of glamorous settings or characters.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,960175,00.html |title=Cinema: Memory Movie When Father Was Away on Business |last=Corliss |first=Richard |date=21 October 1985 |access-date=24 June 2017 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>  ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' staff called it "rather witty commentary" and compared it to [[List of Czechoslovak films|Czechoslovak]] comedy films in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1984/film/reviews/when-father-was-away-on-business-1200426372/ |title=Review: 'When Father Was Away on Business' |last=Staff |date=31 December 1984 |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> [[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] of the [[National Review]] described When Father Was Away on Business as "a film of undaunted honesty and unswerving intelligence, borne out aloft by humor, heartache, satire and compassion-an unbeatable combination".<ref>{{cite book |title=John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001|last1=Simon|first1=John |publisher=Applause Books |year=2005 |page=94}}</ref>

In his ''2015 Movie Guide'', [[Leonard Maltin]] awarded it three and a half stars, praising it as "Captivating".<ref>{{cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |date=2014  |title=Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0698183612}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' ranked it the 26th best film to win the [[Palme d'Or]], citing it for depicting how "humor and the almost mystical power of family trumps all."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cannes-palme-dor-winners-ranked-891143/item/best-intentions-palme-dor-winners-891108 |title=Cannes: All the Palme d'Or Winners, Ranked |last=Staff  |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|100|7.2|7|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}

===Accolades===
''When Father Was Away on Business'' marked [[Emir Kusturica]]'s first time winning the [[Palme d'Or]], the highest honour at the [[Cannes Film Festival]]. He won his second in 1995 for ''[[Underground (1995 film)|Underground]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/emir-kusturica-denies-cannes-comments-886407 |title=Emir Kusturica, Rep Deny Controversial Cannes Comments |last1=Holdsworth |first1=Nick |last2=Kozlov |first2=Vladimir |date=21 April 2016 |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
! scope="row"|  [[Academy Awards]]
| rowspan="1" | [[58th Academy Awards|24 March 1986]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| rowspan="7" |  [[Emir Kusturica]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref name="Oscars1986">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1986 |title=The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2013-11-10 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[Cannes Film Festival]]
| rowspan="2" | [[1985 Cannes Film Festival|8 – 20 May 1985]]
| [[Palme d'Or]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="2" | <ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/otac-na-sluzbenom-putu |title=OTAC NA SLUZBENOM PUTU |access-date=24 June 2017 |work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[FIPRESCI Prize]]
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row"|  [[David di Donatello]]
| rowspan="1" | 1985
| Best Foreign Director 
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Jay Robert |last2=Nash |first2=Stanley Ralph |last3=Ross |first3=Stanley Ralph  |date=1987 |title=The Motion Picture Guide ... Annual |publisher=CineBooks |page=377}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"|  [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globes]]
| rowspan="1" | [[43rd Golden Globe Awards|24 January 1986]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/when-father-was-away-business |title=When Father Was Away on Business |access-date=24 June 2017 |publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]}}</ref> 
|-
! scope="row"|  [[National Board of Review]]
| rowspan="1" | [[National Board of Review Awards 1985|27 January 1986]]
| Top Foreign Films
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1985/ |title=1985 Award Winners |access-date=24 June 2017 |publisher=[[National Board of Review]]}}</ref> 
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[Pula Film Festival]]
| rowspan="2" | 20–27 July 1985
| [[Big Golden Arena for Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pulafilmfestival.hr/en/about-the-festival/timeline |title=Timeline |access-date=24 June 2017 |publisher=[[Pula Film Festival]] |archive-date=11 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311110134/http://www.pulafilmfestival.hr/en/about-the-festival/timeline |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
|-
| [[Golden Arena for Best Actress]]
| [[Mirjana Karanović]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pulafilmfestival.hr/en/component/spidercontacts/showcontact/616?contact_id=1215&page_num=27&back=1&order_by=&Itemid=616 |title=Mirjana Karanović |access-date=24 June 2017 |publisher=[[Pula Film Festival]] |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513015443/http://pulafilmfestival.hr/en/component/spidercontacts/showcontact/616?contact_id=1215&page_num=27&back=1&order_by=&Itemid=616 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of Yugoslavian films]]
* [[List of submissions to the 58th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of Yugoslav submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0089748|title=When Father Was Away on Business}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|when_father_was_away_on_business}}

{{Emir Kusturica}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''When Father Was Away on Business''
|list =
{{Big Golden Arena}}
{{Palme d'Or}}
}}
{{Yugoslav submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:When Father Was Away On Business}}
[[Category:1985 films]]
[[Category:1985 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1980s political comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Emir Kusturica]]
[[Category:Films set in 1950]]
[[Category:Films set in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
[[Category:Films set in Sarajevo]]
[[Category:Films set in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Golan-Globus films]]
[[Category:Palme d'Or winners]]
[[Category:Films in Serbo-Croatian]]
[[Category:Yugoslav comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Yugoslav coming-of-age films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Zoran Simjanović]]
[[Category:Works about Yugoslav politics]]
[[Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina coming-of-age films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Abdulah Sidran]]