Watching movies must be a thoughtful activity. When you sit down to watch a movie, you are investing your time in watching a creative work and analyzing it from the point of view of an audience and film critic. So, when you choose a movie, it must have an impact on you that you will carry for a long time. One such movie is Housekeeping for Beginners. In this article, we will be sharing a short review about the movie that you must know about before you sit down to enjoy the movie. So, hold your seats, and let’s begin!
Housekeeping for Beginners- An Emotional Turmoil:
Folks, before we give you a detailed account of all the aspects of the movie. Let me give you a brief introduction to the movie. The movie Housekeeping for Beginners is the winner of the Queer Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. It is a movie directed by writer-director Goran Stolevski. If there are adjectives to describe the storyline, then they would be fizzy, huggable, and a self-made portrait of a roughly blended queer family. It is a movie that will portray the real-life dramatic situations that a queer family goes through in an urban set-up. If you are someone who loves to indulge in movies that have a touch of reality to them without much of an unrealistic plot, then this is just the right pick for you.
Overview| Housekeeping for Beginners:
In this section we will be giving a quick overview of the entire film. So, in case you are looking to know about the additional information, then check this out:
- Distribution: Focus Features/Universal
- Director/screenwriter: Goran Stolevski
- Cast: Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Mia Mustafa, Vladimir Tintor, Dzada Selim, Ajse Useini,
- Aleksandra Pesevska, Rozafa Celaj, Sara Klimoska
- Duration: 1 hour 47 minutes
Plot:
If you are looking to watch a drama that is filled with comedy and a real-life storyline, then this is the story that is the one for you. The story is set in North Macedonia. Here, you will find that the director, Stolevski, was born and has spent his childhood. The story unfolds in a large house in the hills above the capital city of Skopje. Here, a social worker by the name Dita lives with her partner Sauda along with their kids and a gay male friend named Toni along with assorted waifs and strays. However, when there is a tragedy, this scattered family has to pull itself together to fight against the tragedy. This is something that does not come naturally to them. With this dramatic storyline, the movie has to hit the audience with a lot more compassion and a compelling nature.
Now that you understand the plot of Housekeeping for Beginners, head to the next section of the article, where we will reveal the story of this coming-of-age drama.
Story:
Are you looking forward to watching something different from the conventional dramatic storylines? If yes, then this is the right movie for you. In the movie, you will find that Dita is an ethical Kosovar. This means that she is capable of fitting into the wider North Macedonian society more easily than Sauda, who hails from a Roma background. These two women have inherited the home and have set up their abode in Dita, which they inherited from Dita’s late parents.
They live with Sauda’s two teenage daughters, Vanessa, and six-year-old Mia, as well as Toni, who bring temporary lovers in and out of their home. In Housekeeping for Beginners, there is also a space where the audience will be exploring the caring nature of Dita and Sauda, who offer shelter to lesbian teens who have been thrown out of their homes. There’s a sense that a good portion of the local gay and Roma communities have crashed on the couches in the house at one point or another.
Opening Marks An Impression:
As the film opens, the audience will be introduced to the new addition to this list of characters, Ali. Ali is a Roma Youth who has just spent the night with Toni. However, he is already proven to have an interest in little Mia as they share the same taste for dancing to banging pop in the living room. In the midst of this, sad news emerges that Sauda has terminal cancer and not long left.
She knows how her children will become vulnerable when she is gone and begs Toni and Dita to look after her children. As Sauda’s death casts a gloomy moment in the story, a comedic element is also seen in the storyline. Stolevski has brought a surprising amount of comedy out of this gloomy situation. The audience will be getting to see flamboyancy and young-heartedness with the cast of many nonprofessional as well as young actors. One such character is that of Ali. In the scenes that are shot in Roma, people will find a lot of the rough life and the way. It is led amidst the tension of the oppression of the community. However, the scenes are not projected in a petrified manner.
A Short Review:
Now that you all have a good understanding of the Housekeeping for Beginners story and the plot. You will be surprised to know that the movie was shot with an intimate narration style. This is pretty hard to pull off, especially in contemporary movies. The director has used extreme closeup shots to reflect the central couple seeking intimacy from each other. Well, this cinematographic style makes it pretty hard for the audience to look anywhere else but at the characters’ faces. However, instead of causing an issue while bringing the emotional dynamics of the story, this style of cinematography has played in the film’s favor. Not only are the acting performances thoroughly captivating, but they are also quite appealing when one looks at the big screen.
The audience will find that in Housekeeping for Beginners, the intimacy point of view is shown by building the tension. Along with sinking its teeth deeper into its seemingly chaotic environment. You will find that the community oppression is shown amid a crisis. The movie gives a strong message of building relationships while tackling tensions. If you want to explore family relationships and build bonds with an open-minded perspective, then Housekeeping for Beginners is the movie.
The movie is a light-hearted comedy-drama that aims to portray to its audience the importance of family relations amid tension. The coming-of-age movie reflects the queer perspective of narration. With the intimate narration style used, the depth of each of the characters is vividly shown.
Why You Must Pick Housekeeping for Beginners?
Folks, if you want to watch a movie that reflects modern-day family drama and gives the message of understanding emotions. Then, Housekeeping for Beginners is the one for you. Also, you will find that the script is made in such a way that it indirectly criticizes LGBTQIA+ marriages. Which are still not being legally accepted in several countries. The movie also explores the conventional mother and father roles, presenting its absurdity without making it sound like a lesson. Overall, the film portrays an individual’s growth and is one of the most influential movies in contemporary times. So, if you want to watch something real, gripping, and convincing of everyday drama- Housekeeping for Beginners is the movie for you.
Conclusion:
Housekeeping for Beginners is a coming-of-age film that showcases the real-life experiences of people in an oppressed community. The movie also outlines the hardships a family goes through to combat emotional tensions. If you are looking to watch something new and less dramatic. Then, Housekeeping for Beginners is the movie for you. That’s all, folks. I hope the article will help you get all the information you need.
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