In Balkan superstition, a black cat brings bad luck, and a white cat brings good. The film plays with this constantly. Is Zare lucky or unlucky? Is Matko a fool or a survivor? Kusturica’s answer is pure philosophy: it doesn’t matter. Good and bad are tangled together like the characters in a folk dance. You take the mud with the music, the betrayal with the love, the death with the wedding.
5/5 geese hanging from a chandelier. Essential viewing. crna macka, beli macor ceo film
You cannot talk about this film without mentioning the soundtrack. Composed by Kusturica’s own band, The No Smoking Orchestra, the music is a breakneck fusion of Romani brass, Balkan folk, rock and roll, and punk. The main theme is an earworm that will lodge itself in your skull for weeks. The music doesn’t just accompany the action; it drives it. When a funeral procession suddenly turns into a dance party, you won’t question it—you’ll be tapping your foot. In Balkan superstition, a black cat brings bad