The Ones Who Didn't Fly Away

Year after year, Albanian film production is being "bombarded" with extremely weak productions that create a lot of noise but, as the saying goes, much ado about nothing. Unfortunately, it is rare to hear about films like this one in Albania (or within Albanian communities). Even though I've been a regular viewer of Albanian films for years, this particular film had escaped my attention, perhaps because the louder ones have overshadowed it. But as they say, chance is king.

I stumbled upon this film at Cinema Farnese in Rome, completely unaware it would be screened there. Beyond the fact that I myself am an immigrant, this film truly moved me. Sitting in a theater packed with Italians, I felt proud to witness such a technically and emotionally accomplished Albanian film. A wonderful film with an exceptional screenplay.

As a director who has helmed several short films, I'm deeply familiar with the dedication and effort required to bring even a 12 to 15-minute piece to life. That's why I must commend the boldness and ambition it takes to produce a film with a 40-minute runtime. It's no small feat, and I extend my sincere congratulations to the director and the entire team behind this impressive work.

It's also worth noting how courageous it is to submit a medium-length film to festivals, knowing that most tend to favor shorter entries, typically between 10 and 15 minutes, in order to accommodate more titles within their programming. Unfortunately, this often means that films of this length are overlooked, not because of a lack of quality, but due to logistical limitations.

Despite these challenges, this film managed to break through for one simple, undeniable reason: it's genuinely good. And that, ultimately, is what matters most.

I've watched it a few times now and it has made a great impression on me. The film expertly explores the complex emotions and difficult decisions that young people often face when contemplating their future. Glauk and Era, the film's main characters, are a young man and woman who struggle with the question of whether they should stay in their hometown or leave in search of new opportunities elsewhere.

The storyline is straightforward but carries a lot of emotional weight. As someone who has faced similar dilemmas, I could deeply relate to the inner turmoil that the characters experienced. Glauk and Era represent a common reality for many people in small towns or rural areas, where opportunities might be limited and the lure of a better life elsewhere is strong. Yet, there's also a sense of loss that comes with leaving behind the familiarity of home, family, and friends.

I definitely recommend watching this short film.

This is a review from someone who hasn't experienced emigration himself, but this film made me experience It in a whole new scape, watching this film made me walk on the film's protagonist shoes. His dilemas, his actions, his inner stuggles were so strong and such a solid point to the script. When this film screened in Toronto and It was presented as an Albanian movie you could feel the whole theater sayig "oh no, not an albanian film", but the moment the film started it grabbed us all by the seats and no one missed a single bit of this beautiful piece of work. Great vision in directing, solid script and respectable acting.

Had the pleasure of experiencing this film during a lovely night in Madrid. What a beautiful film. Not only on the technical aspect, but also at the core of it's story.

The film title is The ones who didn't fly away and as obvious as it gets, you might think at the begining that you can predict what's coming, but, when you see the film you don't care about "predictions" or "expectations" anymore, you just live with the main characters and experience what those two are feeling. Unfullfillment, self doubt, inner emotional struggles, all of those feeling being filled and dominated by love. The aspect of falling in love is shown entirely on a different spectrum on this film and how the theme of love get's connected with the problem of emmigation, it's just perfect, it works so well.

After i watched the entire film, in the end i wanted to see more. It left me with the good feeling of wanting to ride along with this film for a longer time. I just couldn't get enough.