A Perfect Day

It takes place in the post-war Balkans during the mid-1990s, but the spirit of A Perfect Day could be adapted to just about any humanitarian crisis in recent history.

The uneven comedy functions as a tribute of sorts to international aid workers and their thankless heroism, although despite bringing together a strong and diverse cast, it’s more noteworthy for its effort than the execution.

Specifically, the film begins in a small hillside town where the water supply has been cut off because a rotund corpse has become lodged in a well. Although it’s not clear how the body got there, maverick Aid Across Borders partners Mambru (Benicio del Toro) and B (Tim Robbins) take it upon themselves to eliminate the obstruction.

However, their efforts force them to navigate language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, lingering wartime distrust, and bureaucratic red tape. Simply locating a lengthy rope is the first obstacle. And then there’s the objection of United Nations officials, who don’t want the body touched out of fear that it could be booby-trapped with a landmine.

So the resulting scheme, told over the course of 24 hours, causes the men to interact with some of the eccentric locals, as well as Mambru’s ex-girlfriend (Olga Kurylenko), a timid new recruit (Melanie Thierry) and a sardonic interpreter (Fedja Stukan).

The low-key film offers an intriguing premise, with a central dilemma that might seem trivial or innocuous, but has significant ramifications given the volatile political backdrop. Plus, it’s nice to see Robbins and del Toro playing against type, and they each show a genuine affinity for their magnanimous characters.

You probably need a good dark sense of humor to do their job, although the character-driven screenplay by Spanish director Fernando Leon de Aranoa (Princesas) — making his English-language debut — struggles to find a consistent tone amid an abundance of labored jokes. At least the obligatory antiwar sentiment isn’t too heavy-handed.

Yet it doesn’t offer much meaningful insight into the conflict, and the characters are too thinly sketched to generate much of an emotional connection, leaving some compelling ideas unfulfilled in the process.

Still, although a contrived romantic subplot derails some of its momentum, A Perfect Day manages an occasional quirky charm and features a clever bittersweet ending that leaves a wry smile.

Rated R, 106 minutes.