Page 28 - Metro

Despite Bloodlands’ arresting depictions of blood feuds and the shtriga,
the theme that prevails overall is that of familial tensions – something
underscored even more solidly by the dynamics between past and present.

P\VWHULRXV RWKHUV ZKR KDYH IRXQG D KRPH ZLWK KHU 7KLV UH Which, of course, raises the question: given !KNNCK@MCR
DFWLYDWHV D ORQJ UHSUHVVHG EORRG IHXG EHWZHHQ WKH RGSQHF@, LV WKH FRXQWU\pV ĺUVW KRUURU ĺOP ZK\ WDVN LWV FUHDWLRQ WR DQ
DORQJ ZLWK KHU oFKLOGUHQp DQG WKH DOUHDG\ GHVSHUDWH IDPLO\ RXWVLGHU" $JDLQ .DVWULVVLRV KDV VSRNHQ IUDQNO\ ZKLOH $OEDQLD
$Q $XVWUDOLDQ GLUHFWRU RI *UHHN KHULWDJH .DVWULVVLRV ZDV RQFH KDG D VPDOO EXW VWDEOH ĺOP LQGXVWU\ PRVWO\ SURGXF
MXVW WZHQW\ IRXU \HDUV ROG ZKHQ KH PDGH 3GD 'NQRDL@M LQJ SURSDJDQGD ĺOPV GXULQJ WKH 6RYLHW HUD WRGD\ WKHUH DUH
DIWHU LWV VXFFHVV KH DWWHPSWHG WR EUDQFK RXW KH ĺGGOHG ZLWK oOLPLWHG RSSRUWXQLWLHVp FRXSOHG ZLWK WKH ODFN RI H[SHULHQFHG
a number of projects across a range of genres, and even con VSHFLDO HIIHFWV PDNH XS DQG VWXQW SURIHVVLRQDOV WKLV PHDQV
sidered directing scripts written by other people. But it was LW ZRXOG EH oGLIĺFXOW IRU DQ\ EXGGLQJ ORFDO JHQUH ĺOPPDNHUVp
KLV UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK IULHQG t DQG VRRQ WR EH SURGXFHU t 'ULWDQ to create work there. %XW .DVWULVVLRVp EDFNJURXQG LQ SRVW

Arbana that would spark the origins of !KNNCK@MCR. Although production and experience making 3GD 'NQRDL@M meant he
EDVHG LQ 6\GQH\ WKH $OEDQLDQ $UEDQD HQWKUDOOHG .DVWULVVLRV KDG WKH VNLOO VHW WR SXOO RII ZKDW ZDV UHTXLUHG WR SURGXFH D ĺOP
over coffee with stories about his homeland, particularly the HIĺFLHQWO\ HVSHFLDOO\ DV oLQ $OEDQLD >f@ WKH $XVWUDOLDQ GROODU
blood feuds that are so much a part of its complex history. goes a long way’. 6
,QVSLUHG E\ WKH WDOHV KLV IULHQG KDG WROG KLP .DVWULVVLRV ZURWH
D VFULSW $UULYLQJ LQ $OEDQLD D IHZ PRQWKV ODWHU WKH ĺOPPDNHU Embracing the darkness
found that his experiences in the region and contact with
ORFDOV KDG JLYHQ KLP oFRQĺGHQFH >f@ WKDW WKH VWRU\ >KH KDG@ Built atop !KNNCK@MCR’ core family drama is a narrative about
2
ZULWWHQ LQ 6\GQH\ IHOW DXWKHQWLF WR $OEDQLDp 'HVSLWH $UEDQDpV FUXPEOLQJ SDWULDUFK\ DQG WKH ULVH RI D IRUZDUG WKLQNLQJ \RXWK
lack of experience as a producer (he is an actor by trade) and 7R DFKLHYH WKLV WKH ĺOP EULQJV WRJHWKHU WZR VSHFLĺF DVSHFWV
.DVWULVVLRVp RQO\ YHU\ UHFHQW LQWHUHVW LQ WKH FRXQWU\ DQG LWV of Albanian culture: the country’s entrenched historical

culture, they found themselves on track to make Albania’s GLVSRVLWLRQ IRU EORRG IHXGV DQG WKH IRONORULF ĺJXUH RI WKH
ĺUVW KRUURU ĺOP RGSQHF@ 7KHVH LQ WXUQ IHHG EDFN LQWR D VWRU\ WKDW GUDPDWLVHV
'LUHFWLQJ D PRYLH ZLWK D SULPDULO\ PRQROLQJXDO QRQ (QJOLVK 6NHQGHUpV LQHYLWDEOH IDLOXUH WR PDLQWDLQ KLV DJJUHVVLYH DQG
VSHDNLQJ FDVW SURYHG OHVV RI D FKDOOHQJH WR .DVWULVVLRV WKDQ DW WLPHV DOPRVW DEXVLYH SRVLWLRQ DV WKH IDPLO\pV OHDGHU DQG
might be assumed. He worked closely with a team of transla the unacknowledged yet omnipresent centrality of women to
tors and – having largely based the protagonists on his own D FXOWXUH WKDW t VXSHUĺFLDOO\ DW OHDVW t DSSHDUV WR EH XQDP
family members – had an intuitive sense of how characterisa ELJXRXVO\ PDOH GRPLQDWHG
tion should develop. The decision to feature the language of 7KH OHJDF\ RI WKH EORRG IHXG WUDGLWLRQ t NQRZQ LQ WKH UH
the country in which he was shooting was an important one gion as FI@JL@QQI@ oEORRG WDNLQJp RU G@JL@QQI@ (‘revenge’)
for him, despite warnings from industry peers that making – is made explicit in !KNNCK@MCR’ opening moments, with an
D ĺOP LQ D ODQJXDJH RWKHU WKDQ (QJOLVK PLJKW KXUW VDOHV DQG intertitle explaining:
GLVWULEXWLRQ %XW .DVWULVVLRV ZDV ĺUP o$OEDQLDQ LV DQ DQFLHQW
language rarely heard outside of the region and it’s one of MBHDMS KA@MH@M B@MNM @R VQHSSDM HM SGD *@MTM NE +DJ CHB-
the few that has no root in other languages, so we should S@SDR RNBHDS@K QTKDR HMBKTCHMF L@QQH@FD OQNODQSX QHFGSR GNR-
preserve it.’ OHS@KHSX @MC R@MBSHNMDC LTQCDQ ,NCDQM KA@MH@ G@R K@QFDKX
4

26 • Metro Magazine 195 | © ATOM