Xhafer, a 45 year old Kosovo-born pharmaceutical engineer living in Germany, suddenly feels discriminated against and bullied at work because of his ethnic background. When Xhafer finds a dead rat hanging from the gate in front of his home, it is immediately clear to him that his racist colleagues could be behind it. Every occurrence, every word, every gesture is taken as evidence. Xhafer’s uneasiness grows every day. His German wife Nora is tired of him playing the race card all the time. Do his colleagues simply dislike him? Or is there more to their hostility? Is this all in his mind or is it the actual reality?
In his second feature-length film, director Visar Morina dissects the psychological effects of social exclusion and presents them here as an interplay between belonging and alienation. Combining subtle images that gradually shift according to his protagonist’s state of mind with meticulous performances from his extraordinary cast, Morina shows how personality can shape the experience of immigration, and how quickly cracks can develop in even the most stable of identities.
Director: Visar Morina
Germany/Belgium/Kosovo, 2020
121 minutes
Presented in collaboration with the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films, as part of KINO! Germany NOW! 2021 Discover New Talent
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