Life Is a Miracle

Year: 2004

Runtime: 155 mins

Language: Serbian

Director: Emir Kusturica

RomanceDramaComedy

Set during the early‑1990s Bosnian war, railway clerk Luka watches his life unravel as the conflict begins and his wife leaves him for a local musician. When his son is conscripted and captured, Luka is ordered to guard a young Muslim nurse destined for a hostage swap. The assignment forces him to face personal loss amid the brutal realities of war.

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Life Is a Miracle (2004) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

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The film opens just as construction is finished on a railway that threads between the rugged mountains of eastern Bosnia and western Serbia in 1992. Luka, a Serbian engineer, moves from Belgrade into Bosnia with his mentally unstable wife, Jadranka, and his football-loving son, Miloš Đurić, to run a small railway station and act as caretaker. He throws himself into work, envisioning a smooth opening for the line, while Miloš pursues a dream of becoming a professional footballer with Partizan. Yet Luka’s unwavering optimism blinds him to the growing whispers of war that have already erupted in Croatia and threaten to spread further.

When hostilities erupt fully, Miloš is drafted into the Serbian army, and Jadranka vanishes while seen in the company of a Hungarian musician. Soon enough, Luka learns that Miloš has been taken as a prisoner of war. He is overwhelmed by despair and even considers ending his life, until a chance encounter with a profiteering acquaintance brings Sabaha, a Bosnian Muslim woman he has held as a hostage, into his life.

Luka’s plan to swap Sabaha for Miloš is complicated by the bond that forms between them as they are forced to flee deeper into Serb-controlled territory. The situation shifts again when a UN-facilitated prisoner exchange is arranged; Luka and Sabaha attempt a desperate journey back toward Serbia, aiming to cross the Drina river. Sabaha suffers a gunshot wound from a Bosnian sniper while crouched behind a tree, and she is narrowly saved by army nurses. Sabaha is exchanged for Miloš, along with other prisoners, and Jadranka returns as well, allowing the family to reclaim their old home. Yet Luka’s heart remains heavy, weighed down by longing and internal conflict.

In a final twist of fate, Luka lies down in front of a waiting train, only for the vehicle to halt to avoid striking a mule. Sabaha, astonishingly aboard the train, remains alive, and the couple seizes a last, audacious moment—riding away together on the mule as the story closes.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:35

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Narratives in this thread unfold against a backdrop of serious conflict, but they are punctuated by moments of slapstick, irony, or surreal events that underscore the illogical nature of war. Characters often navigate their tragic circumstances with a sense of bewildered humor, and the plot may take whimsical turns that contrast sharply with the overarching grim reality.

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