As Fahrije (Yllka Gashi) and her family are still waiting for her husband to come back home from the war, even though he’s most likely dead, she makes the controversial decision along with other women in the village to start a business. A drama based on a real-life story that portrays a disturbingly patriarchal society where any initiative a woman takes to lead an independent life is met with hostility. Ultimately, the director’s feature debut is an uplifting story about the conditions that faced (and to some extent still face) people after the Kosovo War; making ajvar becomes a ticket to freedom. Traditionally crowd-pleasing, but effective.
2021-Kosovo-Switzerland-Albania-North Macedonia. 84 min. Color. Produced by Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka, Yll Uka. Written and directed by Blerta Basholli. Cast: Yllka Gashi (Fahrije), Çun Lajçi (Haxhi), Aurita Agushi (Zamira), Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Molikë Maxhuni.
Trivia: Original title: Zgjoi.Â
Last word: “We are kids that were raised in war and by war. And it’s not just the time when the NATO air strikes began, it’s way before that. We lived during the 1990s and it was a bad time to be a kid in Kosovo. We cried at times. We did. We shared stories that are not fun to share. But when you share those, you feel better. It’s kind of a therapy.” (Gashi on shooting the film, Deadline)
