[ALBSA-Info] New Albanian Movie - Dear enemy

[Agron Alibali]

DEAR ENEMY


 


      
Mon Oct  4, 3:42 PM ET





 Reviews - Variety






Deborah Young 

 An old-fashioned wartime story with warmhearted
characters and (as the title suggests) ironic paradox,
"Dear Enemy" feels like a throwback to an earlier era
of film and television. While history certainly
supplies enough narrative fuel here, pic's slogan,
"Yesterday's enemy is today's friend" doesn't make for
very exciting storytelling, and this Euro
co-production by director Gjergi Xhuvani ("Slogans")
fails to bring anything sufficiently new to warrant
attention beyond the immediate region.  


    

 

 
    

 In 1943 Albania, Italy's surrender brings chaos and
looting in its wake, as troops are replaced by German
soldiers. Grocer Harun Bonata agrees to hide a wounded
Italian soldier on his farm, where a wounded Albanian
partisan is already sheltered. These two strange
bedfellows have little interaction, however, before
they are joined by a fugitive Jewish watchmaker. When
Harun lands a contract to furnish soap to the German
army, they all pitch in to make the stuff. A German
officer surprisingly turns out to be a decent
Christian and becomes a regular visitor at the
farmhouse, where he chats up Harun's Austrian
sister-in-law. A fourth fugitive ends up in the cellar
before the war ends, but by then, most viewers will
have lost count.  

   

 --  

   

 (ALBANIA-FRANCE-GERMANY)  

   

 A Les Films de Cinema/Akkord Film Production/Albanian
General Vision co-production in association with NDR,
Arte. Produced by Pascal Judelewicz.  

   

 Directed by Gjergi Xhuvani. Screenplay, Quitterie
Bienvenu. Camera (color), Nara Keo Kosal; editor,
Didier Ranz; music, Stefan Schmahl. Reviewed at
Sarajevo Film Festival (Regional Competition), Aug.
25, 2004. Original title: I Dashur Armik. Running
time: 91 MIN.  

   

 With: Louisa Xhuvani, Ndricim Xhepa, Peter Lohmeyer,
Rinaldo Rocco.  


		
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