Na Mlije?nom Putu (2016)

Developed from his short Our Life, Emir Kusturica's new film tells an epic three-part story, with Kusturica himself in the central role of Kosta. In the first section, he plays a quixotic figure, riding a donkey and delivering milk across military lines during a civil war. In the second, he meets a beautiful Italian-Serbian (Monica Bellucci), embarking on a passionate, forbidden and ultimately tragic love affair. In the final section, he is a monk collecting rocks as part of a Sisyphean task. Channeling magical realism, the film combines folk elements, animal imagery – a falcon, a snake, a bear – with the mechanical brutality of modern warfare. Very much a family affair – Kusturica's son Stribor is responsible for a striking score – it's a heady and controversial mix with love, brutality, farce and fable. Just what you would expect from this singular filmmaker.