I also really loved the inclusion of several long shots of the city and countryside – something else that I think is very important to see in an international films. Though I would have liked to see more of them spread out throughout the movie, as most of these shots currently occur right near one another in the film.
There were a couple things that ought to be mentioned, however. There was one shot of Mira in her bathroom with a couple lit candles in which the light was very low. While I’m guessing the filmmakers were trying to imitate the candlelight, it still looked odd. More flickering lights might have given a better effect, or even gels put over the lights to add a colored effect. In addition, the light in the room should have gone out completely once Mira blew out the candles, rather than slowly fading afterwards. This could have been done quite easily in the editing room by placing a dip-to-back transition at just the right time.
And speaking of transition, this film stuck exclusively with the slow fade-to-black. While it’s more of a dramatic transition, it got to be a little boring after a while. The filmmakers made use of some other really nice visual effects (as mentioned above), and this creativity should have extended to transitions as well. Too many unique ones would detract from the story, which is why the filmmakers should have stuck mostly with cuts, but a few wipes, fades, and dissolves in the right places would have helped a lot.
This film has some really nice background music to fit with the movie’s compelling nature. The dialogue was clear and easy to understand – although I was mostly paying attention to the subtitles as opposed to the dialogue itself.
Probably the majority of the $30,000 budget for this film went into paying the cast and crew industry standard pay for Albania. This seemed like a very smart move, as the acting was excellent and the crew clearly had a very good handle on what they were doing.
It seems as though this film could be quite compelling to a local audience, and even to an international one. Themes of poverty and inequality are common around the world, and it could possibly touch a cord with many viewers. Other than the few issues mentioned above – particularly clarification about the film’s plot, which needs to be made clearer, especially if this film is going to be marketed in any other countries – this film definitely has some lasting appeal.
This film has a very compelling plot. It’s easy for those of us in better situations to look down on individuals who have turned to immoral or illegal means of employment, but we are only just a tragedy or accident away from being there ourselves.
