The Kukumi

Images and reality intermingle in this account of the writer's own experiences under totalitarian regime.

In a traditional village in Kosova, a year after the war (2000) when people are rebuilding their lives, the female school teacher Lushe is driven by her inner conscience to give an interview to an international journalist, telling her that she and three other women from the village were raped by Serbian forces. A critical view of a society which survived the war, won its independence but still struggles with human equality. An insightful portrait of a Balkan village, of a patriarchal microcosm, and of its mayor who desperately wants to control the village life. Of husbands who feel forced to behave strong, but act against their own emotional interest. A reflection of rituals which not only show gender inequality, but also the absence of freedom of expression within the male community.

A sleepy Montenegrin village, where most of the natives have emigrated to the US, is the setting for a bitter-sweet tale of three women fighting for autonomy. Suta resists pressure to marry her late husband’s autistic twin, Vezire and Drane must learn to coexist as their mutual husband plans to leave, and Fize tries to find a bride for her son. A stork’s arrival troubles the superstitious villagers.

A young Albanian immigrant and his French fiance decide to pay a surprise visit to his native village. Their surprise turns sour when his family learns the true reasons behind their son's return.