GoetheKino|GoetheCine
Director: Visar Morina, colour, 104 min., 2014/15
Kosovo in the 1990s, before the Serbian attack and the war that followed: Ten-year-old Nori and his father Gezim make a living by illegally selling smuggled cigarettes. Gezim is determined to go to Germany, even if this means leaving his son behind with relatives. For a long time, Nori tries to stay with his father, but it’s all in vain. In the end, the boy embarks on a long and dangerous journey to find Gezim in Germany. They’d both imagined the reunion rather differently. A real chance at a better future is not in sight.
Gezim’s first attempt to flee Kosovo already fails at the Montenegrin border. His son Nori is partly to blame, as he was hiding in the boot of the car without his father’s knowledge. Gezim, angry and a little heartless, returns with the ten-year-old boy back to their homeland, which they had already lost a long time ago. Gezim’s wife left the family and the father and son are forced to live in cramped quarters with relatives. Adem is the patriarch of the family, and when a gun goes missing, he beats his son Clirim with a leather belt.
Gezim and Nori manage to scrape a living by selling smuggled cigarettes. The father tries once again to flee to Germany. For that reason, his son is left behind with relatives. When Gezim is about to get on a bus, Nori tightly embraces his father, as if that would persuade him stay behind. In the end, the boy walks in front of the moving bus, injuring himself, and is then taken to hospital. Once he’s out of the hospital, Gezim has ultimately disappeared on his way to Germany. Nori doesn’t want to stay with his uncle’s family. He steals Adem’s gun and while attempting to sell it, he’s not only swindled, but also brutally beaten. The boy only sees one way out. He steals from his uncle, who had been saving up for years to throw a grand wedding feast for Clirim. He wants to go after his father, together with Valentina, one of Gezim’s acquaintances whose husband managed to flee to Germany. He tells her: “I have money!” But soon, he no longer has any. This time it’s Valentina who steals his money. He goes after her with a club – the woman is willing to share the money with him. They arrive at the Montenegrin coast with the help of traffickers and survive the perilous overnight crossing. Valentina’s husband Bedri is already waiting for her in Italy. He’s angry, because his wife has brought the boy along with her. But he knows Gezim’s address.
Back
