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donnyw47
Reviews
Kukumi (2005)
Kukumi is beautiful
Isa Qosja is a thoughtful, intelligent filmmaker who, with "Kukumi," has created a haunting look at prejudice. The film isn't a simple look at the problems of the emerging Kosovo, a controversial issue that tends to draw out the worst aspects of both ethnic Albanian and Serbian artists. It's closer to the theme explored in Philippe de Broca's "Le Roi de Coeur," which says that the world is insane and only those who have lost their minds truly understand that. The irony is that Qosja doesn't take political sides: The villains, such as they are, are those who hate what they fear. And most people who encounter our three protagonists, Kukumi, Mara and Hasan - patients who have escaped from a mental institution - treat them badly. From the acting of the three principals, especially Anisa Ismaili who says virtually nothing the entire film, to the cinematography of Menduh Nushi and Qosja's blended senses of humor and tragedy, "Kukumi" has more soul than a whole decade of films created by far better-funded directors with international reputations. One note: Make sure that you see the "uncensored" version. A recent showing in Pristina, Kosovo, featured a cut to one major plot point, and it left the film making no sense whatsoever. That's not so much shameful as it is artistically criminal.