HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS – A Review by Jenn Rohm
Macedonian-Australian filmmaker Goran Stolevski has completed his third film Housekeeping for Beginners. It was submitted as an entry to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Film as the entry from Macedonia. It has now been released for United States audiences to see.
He returned to North Macedonia for this piece, selected a mostly unknown cast, and filmed with little to no rehearsals. Along with the use of handheld cameras, I found that this film felt like real life and occasionally like watching a home movie. At the same time, the cinematography led by Naum Doksevski was too jerky for me, and I felt I missed some things while the camera’s focus was being found again.
This story is a tale that has and could impact any of us. Stolevski has included additional hardships based on the government they live under and some of society’s judgment. Dita (Anamaria Marinca) is a homeowner and healthcare worker. Through her job, she met Suada (Alina Serban), a no-nonsense Romani and mother of two. They have created their own family with other women, and Toni (Vladimir Tintor) lives together in the house. Suada, like parents all over the world, wants a better future for her children. After being diagnosed with cancer, she asks Dita and Toni to claim the children and remove some of the Roma stigma. Toni brought home a new boyfriend, Ali (Samson Selim), with whom the two daughters have bonded. The film starts by discovering the diagnosis; the second is how they all process what happens next.
If these actors continue to produce work such as provided in this piece they have a bright future ahead. And with Stolevski bringing to the screen things we all experience the world will be a better place.
Director: Goran Stolevski
Written By: Goran Stolevski
Cast: Samson Selim, Mia Mustafi, Dzada Selim
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sexual content, language throughout, and some teen drinking.
Languages: Macedonian, Romany, Albanian, and French with English Subtitles
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Selig Rating: 3.5 stars
Runtime: 1h 47m
Release Date: April 12, 2024
Trailer: Housekeeping for Beginners official trailer
Website: Housekeeping for Beginners official website
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.
