Life After a Lifetime and Endless Rebirths

Grief and hope go full circle in Life After a Lifetime and Endless Rebirths.

Dea (Albina Krasniqi) begins the film lamenting the disappearance of her boyfriend, Blin, one year ago. As she sits in her flat with best friend Rrita (Kosovare Krasniqi) the news still refers the events and when the pair decide to get out and go for a drink, they encounter Blin’s parents pasting up missing person flyers, asking for information. Set on a night of celebration – when Kosovo’s border officially opened to allow freedom of movement to its citizens, Leart Rama’s film is about being the contradictions of wanting a brighter tomorrow and being tied to the past – of wanting freedom, but struggling to let others go.

The crux of this drama plays out in a rave scene at a nightclub in Berlin. Dea and Rrita decide to immediately make the most of their new liberty to try to shake off the cobwebs of tragic history and dance away their pain. In the throng of the masses, that seems to be possible and the film takes on an almost hallucinatory quality as Genc Elezaj’s music ramps up. Emancipation, however, often comes at a cost. On the stage of the club, Dea looks up a drag queen who comes out to perform, and who bears a striking resemblance to Blin.

The noise and energy of the dancefloor might be a difficult place to convey depth of emotion, Rama and their team do a good job of it. As Dea confronts this individual, the weight of emotion emanating from her is palpable – she is a bristling ball of hope, pain, and want. The possibility of being reunited is so overwhelming, that it might override the fear and confusion at the nature of the situation. However, in a world where autonomy has been extended, it is possible that the true sacrifice for Dea will be letting go completely and making peace with her loss.

Director, screenplay: Leart Rama
Cast: Albina Krasniqi, Kosovare Krasniqi, Redon Kika, Sheqerie Buqaj
Producer: Redon Kika
Cinematography: Mostafa Elkashef
Editing: Enis Saraci
Music: Genc Elezaj
Sound: Pellumb Ballata, Genc Elezaj
Art direction: Jeta Veseli
Costume design: Anisa Bina
Production company: Katarze Films (Kosovo)
Venue: Oldenburg Film Festival (Shorts)
In Albanian
18 minutes

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