Kaymak

Manchevski's newest feature, Kaymak, explores the lives of disparate families in this smart black comedy. Once again he touches on themes of maternal instinct, spontaneity, unfettered joy, and casual cruelty that cuts to the quick. Juxtaposing peaceful village scenery with the claustrophobic jam-packed city, the story follows two couples who embark on unconventional romantic liaisons. Sara Klimoska, who was also in Manchevski's Willow, brings a tender vulnerability to Dosta, the village girl who visits the big city, while Aleksandar Mikic's fun-loving security guard was also delightful to watch. How, or even whether, these stories are going to intersect isn't clear at first - as in many of Manchevski's movies, you're never quite sure where it's going until he's ready to let you know - but Manchevski gives us characters to care about and root for in this offbeat love story.

.... Macedonian movie my first I must confess found it on the SBS Australian movie page and at first I thought no it aint gonna grab me then it did a bit then it did more then i was smitten with the entire thing

Clever social tableau pitting the countryside vs Skopje the modern city and modern ways Yuppie couple not conceiving farm it out to a sister who has learning issues etc etc

A very moral story in the end laced with all the themes of modern-day anywhere ... city living neighbours lesbianism triolism wealth differentials between human groups gender roles ... the main thing is how it all plays out here

Was not aware Macedonian was so close to Russian ... at times having more than a passing knowledge of Russian I could understand bits of conversation that was nice

Acting was good from all

Will seek out other Macedonian productions ....

The denouement the last 10 minutes are really good.

Unfortunately the narrative of "Kaymak" feels like a strange satire or paradoxly like a serious comedy. I find it hard to put a label on the genre of this film as it jumps from serious humourless scenes to silly ridiculous ones, that sometimes feel almost vulgar (because of the excess of nudity and sex). As a result it was quite difficult for me to take the sad moments seriously. We can clearly see the parallels in the two story lines yet they are so far from each other that it is actually hard to take them in together at the same time in one film. Overall "Kaymak" is too far-fetched to be believable, yet not far-fetched enough to be a crazy mad fictional entertaining picture. I must admit that I actually think that the initial idea for this film was interesting, just with a bad approach. Eventhough the two story lines finally somehow come together in the final 15 minutes in an unpredictable way, the previous 80 minutes failed to fully capture my attention and interest.

With this movie, Manchevski confirms his mastery in narrating deeply intimate stories with ease, as well as lifting the curtain off of themes we'd rather keep silent. He pins down personal stories in a precise social and cultural cross section of the reality that we collectively ignore and live at the same time. Through a sensual atmosphere and in contrast to our brutal day-to-day life- he showcases the ways in which women are beautiful, witty, and shameless in a myriad of ways; which, as a woman, I found quite pleasing and intriguing.

That aside, I'm confident that men will enjoy the movie in equal measure, and I hope they will laugh sincerely and "manly" from the heart.

I have seen all of Milcho Manchevski's feature films, and the brand-new KAYMAK is one of my absolute favorites. In a number of ways, this engaging, well-paced movie takes us into recognizable territory: the southeast European setting, several familiar (and extremely talented) actors and actresses, parallel but linked story lines, profuse music that is fresh, engaging and very carefully curated, and a thematic focus on children, child-bearing, social pressures on and expectations of women, and, perhaps most generally but most compellingly here, love---just plain love, often sexual but also, significantly, familial. The plot (no spoilers here, I promise) could be described as the intersecting fate of two polyamorous threesomes who live a couple of floors apart in a modern high-rise in Skopje. Beyond the plot, which was sensual and poignant and intricately put together, I have to say that I was also surprised by some scenes of humor and even hilarity (anyone a fan of "Bandiera rossa" here? Or have you ever picked at a pseudo-historical classical column--a testimony to the heavy-handed Disneyland-ification of history--and come away with...sawdust on your fingers?). All in all, this is an extremely satisfying film to experience: visually, musically, with perfect rhythms, and in the conviction that nobody ever said love was easy but who, really, can survive without it?