Cirkus Columbia: Hope can be found in the most unlikely of places

Abu Dhabi: Even when war and destruction are imminent; people refuse to give up hope and find solace in the goodness of others.

Cirkus Columbia, a Bosnian movie by Danis Tanovic, certainly proved this point. Even when war was about to engulf former Yugoslavia, citizens refused to give up hope.

Divko (played by Miki Manojlovic, a Serbian actor, well known in his own country, is a neo-rich business man, returning to his native Bosnian village to retire after two decades of exile in Germany. The movie deals with his identity crisis and the extremes of good and bad that people are capable of, as well as the folly of civil war.

With its well-written, humorous script, beautiful frames and appropriate sequences, the movie avoids burdening the audience with any unnecessary (pseudo) intellectual issues.

When preparations for civil war begin, the former communist mayor is optimistic about the return of communist rule. And the filmmaker expresses his uncritical nostalgia about the communist regime, whose excesses have been well documented.

“If given a chance, I will opt for Tito’s rule [Marshal Tito, the former Yugoslavian communist leader].”

It is the honesty and simplicity of the film which makes it appealing to all kinds of audiences.