Zana

Zana is a powerful film from Antoneta Kastrati, director whose films need to be followed. Few war inspired films nowadays are able to escape the unnecessary melodrama and a approach that basically forces the audiences into feeling sorry for the victims. Zana is not one of those films. Starting from masterful acting by the best of Kosovo's acting community, to an elaborate and powerful cinematography, and the haunting sound score, Zana feels like matured and precise filmmaking, which is surprising considering Zana is the first feature film by Kastrati. Using the Kosovo war as a backdrop to the story, Zana in essence speaks about the pressure of patriarchal values against the female protagonist. This is un-mistakenly a personal film for Kastrati, as she informs at the end credits that her mother and sister were victims of the Kosovo war. Her previous films, short and docs, all dealt directly and indirectly with effects of the conflict. Zana is a culmination of those efforts, professionally and masterfully put together by a wide team of talented professionals. Because it is personal, Kastrati, through the subtle yet emotional performance of Adriana Matoshi, puts us inside the head of the female protagonist. Other actors also very good at providing a picture and emotions of living a village life, with all the challenges, cries, laughter and every day monotony and suffering in a village struck by the devastation of a war. However, this is by far a personal story of the female protagonist, and the entire film and her world is viewed from her perspective entirely. In addition to being informative on personal effects of the Kosovo war, and how women continue to be perpetual victims of it to this day, Zana feels cathartic. I was honored to see the film in its premiere in Prishtina. The audience was shaken to the core, barely able to give an applause to the present film team afterwards. There were people crying and shaken in the corridors, a testament to the sincerity and strength of this film. The acting play of the local healer, played incredibly by one of the best actors in Kosovo is Mensur Safqiu is a performance worth of multiple awards and is timeless in its nature. Another aspect of the film is very personal and beautiful cinematography, which allowed actors to show their skills and haunting locations to show their strength. And finally, the sound and music composed (Albanian-German band Andrra) adds the necessary emotional layer to the film, without being "in your face" too much. All in all, Zana can be easily said to be the best and most powerful of Kosovo's cinema, putting Kastrati firmly into the generation who will lead the New Kosovo Cinema Wave. A must see film for everyone.

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.

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...

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!!!

Definitely the best albanian movie so far. I love it