It’s uneven at times, and I have to wonder how much of the BBC's "'Allo 'Allo" director Emir Kusturica had absorbed, but this remains a fairly diverting portrayal of Yugoslavia’s progression from its wartime Chetnik period up until the country fractured after Tito died. The film is divided into three separate sections, and initially it brought to mind "Hannibal Brooks" (1969), specifically the scene where a zoo is bombed and keeper "Ivan" (Slavko Stimac) rescues one of his animals—a chimpanzee this time, not an elephant. What follows then details how he, along with his brother "Marko" (Pedrag Manojlovic) and his closest friend "Blacky" (Lazar Ristovski), attempt to protect their families during the Nazi invasion while also trying to earn some money through black market dealings. Only "Marko" is allowed to go outside; the others stay hidden for safety—but when the war ends, he doesn't inform them of what’s happened, so like a group of unaware creatures underground, they keep making ammunition without realizing that their purpose has shifted to opposing Communist activities as Josef Tito’s regime solidifies. The concluding section attempts to tie together the first two parts while also confronting the difficult realities faced as their nation collapses into a civil war filled with corruption and betrayal. They drift apart, and everything descends into disorder—even with the presence of UN troops in light blue berets. It's quite lengthy, and there are moments when it could benefit from some trimming, but the characters are delightfully quirky and entertaining while still possessing enough moral strength in their defense of their nation and communities to inspire reflection. The humor isn’t particularly refined; it’s largely slapstick (there's a scene at the end with a burning electric wheelchair that seems to encapsulate the entire film), but this comedic style is used effectively to highlight how traumatic it was for those growing up in the Balkans during the latter half of the 20th century, and how resiliently many faced that challenge. I can’t say any of the performances were exceptional (with the possible exception of the monkey having a great time inside an armored tank), as it's more of a group effort blending farce with historical events in a fairly captivating way.

Source on TMDB