Crna macka, beli macor

As with some of Fellini's late works, the energy and inventiveness, not to mention the juicy vulgarity, are so consistent in Black Cat, White Cat that you feel you can slice into the material at almost any point.

It's anything but subtle but the magnetism of the cast and sheer exuberance of the storytelling make this fairly irresistible.

A colorful, frenetic mixture of slapstick and folklore that stands a good chance of delighting arthouse audiences the world over.

This is storytelling on the hoof, rambling, self-indulgent, but with enough warmth and humour to overcome its own excesses.

The film's most memorable images all seem to be either irrelevant diversions (like the pig eating a car) or reruns of previous greatest hits.

It's like a novel written entirely in italics, every single sentence of which ends with an exclamation mark. As there are people of whom it's said that they don't know their own strength, Kusturica is a film-maker who doesn't know his own brilliance.

There's a surprising warmth and even a little optimism behind Kusturica's gallows humor.

It's ridiculous and self-indulgent, but Kusturica is so skilful, conjuring up one sweeping, sumptuous set-piece after another, that you can't help but go along for the ride.

Based on true events, this deeply involving film is not only a terrific story but it's also very timely in the issues it examines.