From acclaimed filmmaker Goran Stolevski comes a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves. Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that must fight to stay together.
REVIEW:
The newest Macedonian drama from Goran Stolevski, Housekeeping for Beginners, tries to capture the crisis of the area’s multicultural identities in collision with long standing prejudices and animosities against the Romani (derogatively called Gypsies) and LGBTQ minorities of his native country.
The household being depicted is indirectly led by Dita (Anamarina Marinca), a middle-age lesbian whose partner, Suada (Alina Serban) has terminal pancreatic cancer. Both are Romani, and their informal family share a sprawling townhome filled with the children from Suada’s failed marriage and assorted Romani castoffs that are LGBTQ also. When Suada passes, Dita fears for Suada’s children, and per Suada’s last wish, attempts to adopt the girls. Vanesa (Mia MustafI) is a typical teen, moody and combative, lashing out at Dita in her grief for her mother. The other, too young to maybe know death’s shadow, is two-year-old Mia (the scene stealing charmer Dzada Selim). The only problem, Lesbians can’t adopt, so Dita needs to find a man willing to go along and be a pseudo dad.
The situation would have been treated as a comedy in American hands. Stolevski gives the story the seriousness and sincerity these characters deserve. He’s not willing to exploit them twice. Under his direction, the movie is hectic, vibrant, and since it’s mainly one set, also cramped and claustrophobic. The close quarters allow for virtually no privacy and no time to grieve. Vanesa reacts by doubling the rebellion, raging against the injustice of her mom’s death, by denigrating, attacking, creating trouble for Dita, who wants nothing more than to do the right thing, and creating as much trouble and havoc as possible. Dita is sad, stoic, but patient and understanding and determined to make it right. Her marriage to a gay house mate, Toni (Vladimir Tintor provides only a partial solution. Legally, the four are a family- the hard part is convincing Vanesa.
The film gets to breathe during this interval. It escapes the close quarters to finds heritage, strings of tragedy, beads of joy in the search- at least, enough to make a suitable friendship bracelet, even to make a worthy family. This peppery group eventually finds a grudging way through the rough affections— and becomes a place worth visiting.
Housekeeping for Beginners gets a 3.0/5 or a B. It’s streaming on Peacock.
CREDITS:
Directed by
Written by
Goran Stolevski
Produced by
Starring
- Anamaria Marinca
- Alina Serban
- Samson Selim
- Vladimir Tintor
- Mia Mustafi
- Dżada Selim
Cinematography
Naum Doksevski
Edited by
Goran Stolevski
Music by
Alen Sinkauz
Nenad Sinkauz
Production
companies
- List Production
- Madants
- Kinorama
- Sense Productions
- Industria Film
- Film i Väst
- Common Ground
- Causeway Films
- Tango Entertainment
Distributed by
- Focus Features(United States)
- Maslow Entertainment (Australia)
- Universal Pictures(International)
Release dates
- 6 September 2023(Venice)
- 5 April 2024(United States)
- 9 May 2024(Australia)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
Countries
- Poland
- Serbia
- Australia
- Croatia
- Kosovo
- North Macedonia
- United States
Languages
Albanian
Macedonian
Romani
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