“Two Wild and Crazy Guys‚ and a Gal” - unresolved trauma and Balkan stereotypes in the music of Emir Kusturica’s film Podzemlje (Underground)

Abstract

One of the manifestations of unresolved trauma is associated with the use of Balkan stereotypes and self-Balkanisation in films. In this paper, I explore the connection between unresolved trauma and the music used to express Balkan stereotypes, focusing on a case study dedicated to Goran Bregović’s soundtrack for Emir Kusturica’s film Podzemlje [Underground] (1995). I analyse the track “Mesečina [Moonlight]” featured in the film, and observe how the music goes hand in hand with the portrayal of some of the main characters as “wild Balkan men” associated with a myriad of negative characteristics and stereotypes.

Keywords

• unresolved trauma
• balkan stereotypes
• emir kusturica
• goran bregović
• self-balkanisation
• underground
• “moonlight”