When Father Was Away on Business

When Father Was Away on Business

Directed by Emir Kusturica

Produced by Forum Sarajevo, Centar film

1985136 min7.3 / 10

A melancholic, intimate portrait of a child's confusion and loss as his father vanishes into a Stalinist labor camp, told through the fog of childhood incomprehension.

In a post-WWII Yugoslavia still under Stalinist rule in the 1950s, six-year-old Malik is oblivious as to why his father, Mehmed, has suddenly disappeared. In truth, Mehmed has been sent to a labor camp as punishment for acts of sexual indiscretion involving young girls. Malik's mother, Senija, however, has no answers, and the family must cope in the father's absence.

Questions people ask

  • Is When Father Was Away on Business sad? Yes, very. More sad than 98% of films.

  • Does When Father Was Away on Business end with hope? Barely. Less hopeful than 83% of films.

  • Is When Father Was Away on Business violent? Not especially. Less violent than 62% of films.

  • Is When Father Was Away on Business easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of films.

  • Is When Father Was Away on Business scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 58% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

66/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Distinctly its own thing.

Rarity50

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise70

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love80

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like When Father Was Away on Business

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

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Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like When Father Was Away on Business, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like When Father Was Away on Business, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like When Father Was Away on Business, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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