Story happens in the first days after NATO troops enter Kosova. After the signing of the military agreement in Kumanovo, in the house of the retarded, the guards and employees leave their places and flee. Inmates are all retarded but they have a special philosophy of life, they have their wishes and their dreams. Being free gives them a chance to make dreams come true, but they are confronted with a reality and environment, which in one way or another is very different. From the moment of getting out the fences, they are conflicted with people that call themselves free. Gradually this conflict roughens and with it degenerates the meaning of freedom. There are three main characters, Kukum, Mara and Hasan.
Acting
Non-professional cast with developmental disabilities—raw, unperformative, devastating.
Direction
Qosja's documentary background blurs reality and fiction deliberately.
Cinematography
Post-war Kosovo as character: rubble, mist, and unexpected beauty.
Director
Isa Qosja
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Most cast members were actual residents of Kosovo psychiatric institutions; director Isa Qosja spent months building trust before filming.
The Kumanovo Agreement ending the Kosovo War is the invisible fourth character—its 'freedom' is the acid the film slowly pours on.
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