Life is a Miracle (until someone spoils it)

Went to see Emir Kusturica's latest film 'Life is a miracle' last night at the Midlands Art Centre down the road in Canon Hill Park. As I walked through the park the sun was beginning to set and shine throught the plethora of trees and plants. The flowers were stunningly beautiful. The last time I had walked through that part of the park was around 6 months ago, I guess, but it seemed so different. It is a huge space and the variety of the displays was something I hadn't seen before.

The film was excellent, although my enjoyment of it was lessened somewhat by a few male fellow audience members who insisted on heartily laughing at every opportunity. It was almost as if they were trying to make a point to everyone else in the room (and there were surprisingly quite a few others in there) that they 'got' Eastern European humour and were huge lovers of Kusturica. Unbelievable. Those of you who have seen it will confirm that there are some undoubtedly amusing happenings in the film. Not once did I feel like laughing audibly, although I did have a smile on my face for most of the 2 1/2 hours it lasted. Who are these people? What goes though their minds? The majority of the film was set in and around this house that was situated on a hillside directly next to a railroad track. The war of the early 1990s passes through at one stage which was shot brilliantly. There was a gorgeous assassination scene over some snowy valley and a further highlight, of course, was the music of Kusturica's gypsy band, reworking the same theme throughout.

Kusturica