Academy Award winner, Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”, “Hell”, “Triage”) has chosen Toronto for the North American Premiere of his 4th feature film, the bitter-sweet tale of life in post-communist/ pre-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. This comic drama is based on Ivica Djikic’s novel “Cirkus Columbia”.  We meet Divco Buntic, (Miki Manojlovic) returning to his small hometown in southern Herzegovina after a 20 year absence. Now a middle-aged man he flaunts his obvious success, his sleek Mercedes, loads of cash, a beautiful, young paramour, Azra (Jelena Stuplianin) and Bonnie, his beloved black cat. We soon find out that when Divko fled the communists he left behind a wife (Mira Furlan) and young son (Boris Ler). Manoljlovic and Furlan both deliver superb performances.

The political climate has changed from the long years of oppressive communist rule to a new gentler democratic regime. Divko’s son is almost a man. Divko goes to see his buddy, now mayor of the town to get a few things taken care of.  Divko greases the mayor’s palm and enlists the local police to carry out his dirty deed:  evict his pesky wife and teenage son from his house. Out with the old, in with the new. Satisfied, Divko moves in with the trophy bombshell.

It seems that money will buy Divko the happiness he so longed for during his endless decades of exile until Bonnie, the black cat, goes missing. Divko is lost without Bonnie firmly believing she determines his luck. He involves the whole village in his desperate search for his cat. This throws his girlfriend and son together and they spend entire days looking for the lost feline. Passion builds between them. Divko is devastated at the turn of events beyond his control. His hopes of ever recovering the cat and his good luck seem dim. Unsettling rumors of war are also growing louder in the town.

This charming, heart-warming tale of nostalgia, a portrait of life in a little heaven, not unlike Provence but torn apart by racial and religious conflicts is reminiscent of Marcel Pagnol’s work. Perhaps this is because “Cirkus Columbia” is a fable about longing for the way things were. It is Tanovic’s most accessible, mature piece and his sweetest – a genuine crowd pleaser.

Moira Romano