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?
