Zana

'Zana' (2019) directed by Antoneta Kastrati is the first film from Kosovo that I've ever seen. It is no surprise that the film deals with the wars in the Balkans at the end of the last century, among the consequences of which were the appearance of new states on the map of Europe, including Kosovo. However, the perspective from which the conflict is presented is different. The director, who lives in Los Angeles and has made several documentaries about that period, chose together with the screenwriters to describe the conflict indirectly, by presenting the traumas and psychological sequels of the conflict more than a decade after the events. It does so from the point of view of the victims and especially of the women who were in many cases the ones who suffered the most during the war and who continued to bear in silence the nightmares of the horrors they went through. The result is a special film, with a strong emotional impact, a testimony and a document made with the tools of fiction film.

The story takes place in a Muslim village at the intersection of the world of smartphones and YouTube applications, with the traditions that guide the lives of families and the community for centuries. Lume (Adriana Matoshi) is a woman approaching her 40s who carries the hard work duties in a rural economy and within a social order in which women seems to have many more obligations and far fewer rights to decide about their own lives than men. The trauma of the memory of her young daughter killed in the war a decade ago does not leave her, and the woman is finding it increasingly difficult to face the pressures of her husband Rem (Fatmire Sahiti) and mother-in-law (Astrit Kabashi) who want another child to be born. When modern medicine seems to be ineffective, the family presses her to turn to the advice of 'healers' - either the local ones in the village or the most famous ones, with television programs and fees of 500 euros. Modernity and tradition, the trauma of war and the attempt to preserve the cohesion of the family, all meet in conflict in the woman's life.

The whole film revolves around the character of the Lume, and Adriana Matoshi's acting is exceptional. The villager from Kosovo is fragile in soul but also dignified in her attempt to overcome her trauma and to face forces much stronger than her in a world where she is surrounded by hostility and indifference. Antoneta Kastrati's directorial conception, even if she fails to completely avoid the demonstrative rhetoric, combines it with elements of social criticism and careful observation of traditions in order to make the film cinematically interesting beyond the manifest message. The cinematography is also expressive, with moments of authentic beauty. The fantastic thread is less explored, the director being more concerned with the social dimensions of the phenomena of 'healers' and exorcism. This reminded me of another film from the Balkans, 'Beyond the Hills' by the Romanian Cristian Mungiu, where a similar theme was also approached in a realistic register. I liked less the way the characters around Lume were defined, I think there was room for more psychological depth especially in the characters of the heroine's husband and mother-in-law. 'Zana' is a film that adds to a gallery of productions that describes the conflicts and wars in the Balkans and their aftermath. In addition, it is a film with cinematic quality moments, a film worth seeing, and not only in the context of the message against violence of war and prejudice.

This movie brilliantly deals with war traumas, but in a new, peaceful, environment. At least peaceful on the outside. You will definitely learn what it feels like to lose a child, by gun violence, in front of your eyes and being expected to live a normal live after that. You'll learn how this turns to what the villagers would describe as "black magic", and the doctors as hallucinations (etc.) because of severe PTSD. You'll get a reassurance that this could happen in real life, because it ACTUALLY IS based on real life events. You get to see how "witchcraft" only makes thing worse and how things could have gone better for the characters' lives, if psychiatrists were involved. You also get to see some albanian culture touch about the way albanian societies and families function, especially how they used to function immediately post-war. You also get to feel SO much emotion, just wait for the end...

Beautiful touching movie exploring PTSD and the crimes that happened in Kosovo. Amazing performances by the lead and the man who played her husband, you can't help but feel for these characters. Makes you grateful and thankful if you are one who have never had to experience the crimes of war and understand what those who went through this time dealt with.

It has been a month since I saw this movie, however I am still thinking about it. It gave me so many emotions, especially considering the fact that it represents a reality for many Kosovan families living in rural areas. The last scene made me cry, and I never cry!!!

Zana are mysterious beings from the forest who heal those who connect with them. Having lost a child in the recent war and haunted by nightmares of the experience, Lume is hesitant to bring another child into the world. Her husband and his mother put constant and extreme pressure on Lume to bear another child. They blame Lume and accuse her of being cursed. If only they or someone could help Lume with heartbreak.

Zana is dedicated to the mother and sisters the director lost in the war and drawn from Antoneta's own experiences. Antoneta also interviewed Albanian women whose experiences followed similar patterns. In exploring wounds of war Zana avoids the easy answers and the macho attitudes that make it harder for women to heal. Antoneta hopes to start conversations about the war and help women to talk about what they conceal inside. This is not the sole reason to see Zana, it is also a beautiful, jarring and well-crafted film. Though it is from a new director, actors, filmmakers and country, it is polished and enthralling. Seen at the Toronto international film festival.