Brilliant and touching

Am I Missing Something?

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I do not easily rate a movie at 10. It is not even the cast. Their excellent play does contribute to the overall creation. But what matters most is the atmosphere of the film and its incredible density, held by a persistent though unidentifiable tension. Nothing is granted, reality least of all. It is a kind of allegory of a crumbling world ... in an improbable setting. Probably to be followed by a rebirth, as hopeless. It is also pure cynical aesthetics. Enki Bilal is a painter and an outstanding comic books author, and his very personal aesthetics pervades all his works. I cannot compare this film to anything else I have seen, but it is my favorite movie.

I watched this film because I am rather a fan of Enki Bilal's work.It includes a story line about someone needing to pass a secret message on to someone else, a message which is of only incidental importance to the things going on in this aptly named bunker palace. As the moment comes for the message to be passed arrives it is finally spoken. In the print I saw the message was in a different language and no translation was offered. An acquaintance of mine told me that he would be seeing Mr. Bilal at a comic book convention in Sarajevo and he would ask him about this message. Apparently he failed to ask or didn't get an answer. He, my acquaintance, did say that it sounded like Hungarian to him but he speaks Serbian and English so he isn't sure. If you ever find out, post it here. It reminds me of Kafka's story about the messenger and the castle guard.The exterior shots, what few there are, are apparently shot in Belgrade. The bunker palace could be anywhere.

i saw this movie some years ago for the first time. the world became another thing since that day, i was a youngster - i had no idea that there was still an industry capable of producing such a bizarre movie.just see it and seek (and think) yourself for an interpretation.in country you will never find out what it is, in a place you can never find out where it is, there is a war that no one really cares about explaining what it is. the burgoise seems to search for a place to hide themselves, they enter then into the bunker palace hotel where there is comfort and they can be safe.then the movie starts...