When Father Was Away on Business (1985): Cast, Box Office & Plot
When Father Was Away on Business is a 1985 drama directed by Emir Kusturica, starring Predrag Laković as Kućepazitelj Franjo, Moreno de Bartoli and Mirjana Karanović. It runs 2 hours 16 minutes and earned $34,751 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 16m (136 min)
- Director
- Emir Kusturica
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
- Serbo-croatian
- Studio
- Forum Sarajevo
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is When Father Was Away on Business About?
The premise of When Father Was Away on Business without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
After Tito’s split with Stalin in 1948, Yugoslavia entered a confusing and perilous era for staunch communists. When Mesha makes an off‑hand comment about a newspaper cartoon, he is swept up with many others who are arrested. His family must endure the hardship and wait for his eventual release from prison.
When Father Was Away on Business Themes & Keywords
· 39 tags- bosnia
- male circumcision
- male genital mutilation
- girl bath scene
- politics
- false accusation
- wedding banquet
- sleepwalking
- accordion
- sarajevo yugoslavia
- anti communist
- political prisoner
+27 more Show fewer
- communism
- 1950s
- yugoslavia
- daughter bathes father
- brother in law has sex with his sisters in law
- son sleeps with parents
- cheating husband
- husband beats wife
- cheating wife
- labor camp
- social commentary
- comic strip
- nude young male
- female full frontal nudity
- male full frontal nudity
- family relationships
- nosebleed
- funeral
- train
- husband wife relationship
- female topless nudity
- penis
- nude bathing
- foreskin
- circumcision
- female frontal nudity
- female nudity
When Father Was Away on Business Cast & Characters
Predrag Laković leads the cast as Kućepazitelj Franjo, with Moreno de Bartoli as Malik and Mirjana Karanović as Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka. Directed by Emir Kusturica; 30 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Emir Kusturica
- Predrag Laković as Kućepazitelj Franjo
- Moreno de Bartoli as Malik
- Mirjana Karanović as Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka
- Miki Manojlović as Mehmed 'Meša' Zolj, otac
Also Starring in When Father Was Away on Business
· 26 more- Emir Hadžihafizbegović Fahro Zulfikarpašić
- Eva Ras Ilonka Petrović
- Mustafa Nadarević Zijah 'Zijo' Zulfikarpašić
- Pavle Vuisić Muzafer Zulfikarpašić, dedo
- Mira Furlan Ankica Vidmar
- Slobodan Aligrudić Ostoja Cekić
- Zaim Muzaferija Predsjednik
- Saša Petrović Kum (uncredited)
- Božidarka Frajt Doktorova žena
- Zoran Radmilović Brko Pilot
- Haris Burina Ostojin šofer
- Jasmin Geljo
- Davor Dujmović Mirza Malkoč, brat
- Tomislav Gelić Berberin Hamdo
- Aco Gjorčev Dr. Jevgeni Ljahov
- Jelena Čović Nataša
Show all 30 cast members Show fewer cast members
More from Emir Kusturica
More films directed by Emir Kusturica, best-rated first: Underground, Black Cat, White Cat, Arizona Dream and Promise Me This.
When Father Was Away on Business Plot Summary
What happens in When Father Was Away on Business from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In June 1950, the small world around Zvornik opens with Čika Franjo, Predrag Laković, a local drunk who serenades field workers. He sings Mexican songs to stay out of trouble, choosing tunes he hopes will be safer than anything tied to the two global powers—the United States and the Soviet Union—in a tense, watchful climate shaped by the Cold War. The atmosphere around him mirrors a country tightening its grip as the Tito–Stalin Split casts a shadow over everyday life, and a quiet paranoia begins to creep into even the most ordinary moments.
Full summary
The whole story of When Father Was Away on Business, scene by scene
When Father Was Away on Business Box Office
When Father Was Away on Business grossed $34,751 worldwide. $16,131 came from the US and Canada and $18,620 (54%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$34.8K
- US & Canada
- $16.1K
- International
- $18.6K
When Father Was Away on Business Videos
The clip of When Father Was Away on Business.
How Well Do You Know When Father Was Away on Business?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In which month and year does the story of the film begin?
When Father Was Away on Business Also Known As
22 alternative titles, including “Otac na sluzbenom putu” and “Papà è in viaggio d'affari”.
- Also known as
-
- Otac na sluzbenom putu
- Papà è in viaggio d'affari
- Pappa er på forretningsreise
- Papà... è in viaggio d'affari
- Papa est en voyage d'affaires
- Папа в командировке
- A papa szolgálati útra ment
- Papa ist auf Dienstreise
- Papa está en viaje de negocios
- 爸爸去出差
- מסע העסקים של אבא
- Тато у відрядженні
+10 more Show fewer
- パパは、出張中！
- Babam iş Gezisinde
- Quando Papai Saiu Em Viagem de Negócios
- Баща в командировка
- Otec na služební cestě
- När pappa var borta...
- Otac na službenom putu, მამა მივლინებაში
- 아빠는 출장 중
- Ojciec w podróży służbowej
- Papá salió en viaje de negocios
Seen When Father Was Away on Business?
Movies Like When Father Was Away on Business
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Father and Godfather, Father by Force and Yugofilm.
When Father Was Away on Business FAQ: Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of When Father Was Away on Business, each answered in a sentence.
How long is When Father Was Away on Business?
When Father Was Away on Business runs 2 hours 16 minutes (136 minutes).
When was When Father Was Away on Business released?
When Father Was Away on Business was released on January 15, 1985.
Who directed When Father Was Away on Business?
When Father Was Away on Business was directed by Emir Kusturica.
More films by Emir Kusturica Who is in the cast of When Father Was Away on Business?
When Father Was Away on Business stars Predrag Laković as Kućepazitelj Franjo, Moreno de Bartoli as Malik and Mirjana Karanović as Senija 'Sena' Zolj, majka, among 30 credited actors.
How much did When Father Was Away on Business make at the box office?
When Father Was Away on Business grossed $34,751 worldwide ($16,131 domestic, $18,620 international).
Does When Father Was Away on Business have a post-credit scene?
No. When Father Was Away on Business has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is When Father Was Away on Business in?
The original language of When Father Was Away on Business is Serbo-croatian.
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