"Pharmakon" has a lot of potential to be a gripping, dramatic thriller. Branko is a young Albanian graduate who has recently returned from his pharmacological studies in the United States to work for his wealthy, domineering doctor father. Branko becomes interested (obsessed?) with Sara, a beautiful young nurse whose mother is receiving expensive cancer treatments from Branko's father. There are lots of moral questions and mysteries here. Is Sara in a relationship with the father to pay for her mother's treatment? Are Branko's intentions more akin to love or lust? Is the father a villain or a hero?
There are interesting opportunities to talk about corruption and misogyny in Albania and Albanian culture....
Unfortunately, the film is overlong and spends a third of its running time having its four main characters walk up and down stairs, through hallways and down the street. The film could have benefited from some judicious editing to trim its 135-minute running time, and tightening up the script a bit.
I generally enjoy films from Albania, but this one could have been so much better.
