Black Cat, White Cat

Black Cat, White Cat (Crna mačka, beli mačor, 1998) is Emir Kusturica's Romani comedy you can watch online on iFILM. On the banks of the Danube, small-time hustler Matko cooks up a train-smuggling scheme and gets fleeced before it even starts.

Now in debt to the slick gangster Dadan, Matko agrees to marry off his teenage son Zare to Dadan's tiny, fiery sister, nicknamed Bubamara. The catch: neither kid wants the wedding. Zare is in love with Ida, who runs the local bar. The whole clan descends anyway, with geese, a brass band, and two ancient Romani patriarchs who haven't met in twenty-five years. From there it all spins out, runaways, a staged funeral, a pig gnawing on a wrecked car.

Kusturica films the chaos like a street party: blaring Balkan horns, a camera chasing geese and brides, a plot that wanders like a drunk river. It picked up the Silver Lion for directing at Venice. Great if you're willing to surrender to a loud, absurd, surprisingly tender carnival. Stream Black Cat, White Cat (1998) online on iFILM.