Four women, as diverse as they were after the Kosovo War, live in a long-standing refugee home. Their lives seem peaceful, mundane, though beyond laughter a great deal of drama lies. Emira (Rozafa Çelaj), Lumja (Adriana Matoshi), Kumrija (Shengyl Ismaili) and mother Gjyla (Meliahte Qena) talk and discuss with each other, laughing and arguing at the same time. Their laughter is marred by the contemptuous presence of a Serbian-speaking Croatian woman, Zdenka (Rebekah Qena).
Despite the disgust that Zdenka's figure causes to the four women, she is the link to the past and future of Aga (Arti Lokaj), a nine-year-old boy who has only one goal - not to go Serbian to find her father, lost in the war. The only manly figure in his life is Cera (Basri Lushtanaku), a character who is "enveloped" by the harshness, not to mention the painful secrets.
Screenwriter and filmmaker Lendita Zeqiraj, through the characters, brings a timeless testimony of the devastating experience of war. On purpose, Zeqiraj diverts her attention from Aga and recreates in the most fantastic way possible the portraits of some women, which unites a story, a story that belongs to the past but is present every day.
After every character behavior, there is a reason afterwards that is revealed one way or another. No experience is left "undocumented", whether in portrait or motion. The way the characters interact with each other seems at times ridiculous, meaningless, until at one point a reporter emerges that changes everything.
We are discovering no more than we should, as "House of Aga", a film that marks a special moment in the cinema of Kosovo and Albania, should be enjoyed individually. It's one of those films that isn't meant to burden you with excessive drama. On the contrary, laughter will accompany you throughout the film until you understand what's behind them.
The "House of Aga" premiered at the Tirana Film Festival and we hope to promote it even more in local cinemas.
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