"Summer dreams of the sea" debut with determination, examination study

Kaltrina Krasniqi's debut focuses on a widow's confrontation with the patriarchal structures in Kosovo. As a determined debut by Kaltrina Krasniqi, "Vera Andrron Detin" works both as an introspective character study and as a commentary on power imbalances in a culture in which the norm is for inheritance to pass only to men.

There is a quiet precision of Vera (the impressive Teuta Ajdini-Jegeni) who moves from her job as a sign language interpreter for television news to the comfortable and friendly relationship with her husband, the retired judge Fatmir (Xhevat Qorraj). right down to her perfectly slicked back hair. But Fatmir's sudden death forces Vera to confront the mess of his life and navigate the patriarchal structures that still govern society in her native Kosovo. As a determined debut from Kaltrina Krasniqi, "Vera Andrron Detin" works both as an introspective character study and as a commentary on power imbalances in a culture in which the norm is for inheritance to pass only to men.

It's a personal project for Krasniqi, who dedicates the film to her mother, also named Vera, inspired by her struggle for economic freedom after her divorce. It is a distinctive work, in that it foregrounds a woman of a generation that is rarely the focus of cinema – Vera is, we assume, in her late fifties or early sixties – a generation which, in Kosovo, it was shaped and incorporated by some social attitudes that are in decline.

While the film lacks the optimistic sense of rebirth of something like Bohdan Slama's Ice Mother, it manages to find a sense of resolution in the new relationship between mother and daughter. Further festival screenings – the film premiered in Thessaloniki after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival – will further cement Krasniqi's status as a director to watch.

The directorial aspect has the restraint and control similar to Vera's character. Vera is persistent and organized; firm but polite when it comes to ordering baklava for her husband's birthday party. But the news that there is a potential buyer for their house in a suburban village brings a smile to the normally stern and reserved Vera.

She plays with the idea of ​​buying an apartment for her daughter Sara (Alketa Sylaj), and drinking cocktails on the beach with Fatmir. But her husband does not share the same emotion. And when she goes out to the store to buy some things for his birthday meal, he kills himself. Like everything in the film, death is handled discreetly – it's one of the few elements of the story that we don't see through Vera's eyes. Instead, the discovery of the body happens behind closed doors. And Summer, who is usually proud and reserved, looks momentarily disheveled.

It takes very little time for Vera to realize that in the eyes of the men she knows, her status has changed. Her husband's cousin, Ahmeti (Astrit Kabashi), a greedy character, uses the funeral to emphasize how close he was to Fatmir. He then informs Vera that her husband had promised her the house. The village elders, brought in to support his claim, refer to her as a contemptuous "lady" and refuse to look her in the eye. But the stronger Vera stands, the more open are the threats against her and her daughter.

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Not everything in the film works: a recurring image of a woman in water, a reference to the title, adds little more to the film than dark symbolism. But a confrontation that takes place in a cafe for the deaf is a powerful scene. And the film's ultimate message—that a legacy made up of ideas and values ​​is at least as worthy as a brick-and-mortar one—is powerful.

Taken from "Screendaily". Translated by: Alberina Haxhijaj