Description

First, there’s a dead rat hanging on the door of the house where Xhafer lives with his wife and children. Then the emails he sends are "accidentally" no longer being received. The signs that this pharmaceutical engineer is being bullied and harassed in his workplace are increasing. Even if neither his wife nor his colleagues seem to believe him, this man, who is originally from Kosovo but who has been well integrated for years, feels more and more outcast from his (German) community. Or is he losing touch with reality?

In his second feature-length film, director Visar Morina dissects the psychological effects of social exclusion and presents them here as an interplay between belonging and alienation. Morina combines subtle images that gradually shift according to his protagonist’s state with meticulous performances from his ensemble, to describe the importance of personality when it comes to integrating into another society, and how quickly cracks can develop in the supposedly firm construct that is identity.

Director: Visar Morina
Germany/Belgium/Kosovo 2020
DVD, 121 min.
Language: German, Albanian with English Subtitles

This film screening is part of the Goethe-Institut's series Kino@Goethe 2023. Addressing racism, sexism, homophobia, immigration and integration, this Kino@Goethe series offers new perspectives on the leading societal challenges in Germany. The films invite the viewer to question their own self-images, and by focusing on the structurally disadvantaged groups, the films clearly show that even the much talked about issues such as racism and the unequal treatment of women still deserve awareness and discussion.