Director: Luàna Bajrami
Writer: Luàna Bajrami
Star: Flaka Latifi, Uratë Shabani, Era Balaj, Andi Bajgora, Luàna Bajrami
Synopsis: In a remote Kosovar village, three young women who feel their dreams have been stifled go on a quest for independence.
After starting her acting career in France, Luàna Bajrami went back to her native Kosovo for her directorial and writing debut, The Hill Where Lionesses Roar. The filmmaker – barely 20 years old – offers a promising style and a relevant perspective on topics such as identity and the overwhelming prospect of the future, taking advantage of her youth and her recently-lived period of maturity.
The Hill Where Lionesses Roar follows three best friends as they spend their summer holidays together. Soon it becomes evident that there is nothing to do in their little Kosovar town, with them spending their hours in an abandoned house, an empty pool, and the hill that gives name to the film. Always together, they seem to have created a bond on the basis of their scarce future prospects and the difficulties they face at home.
Qe (Flaka Latifi) has to deal with an abusive father and the constant pestering of her mother, reminding her that no one expects anything else from her but to become a hairdresser and join the family business. Jeta (Uratë Shabani), an orphan, lives with her uncle who constantly harasses her. Li (Era Balaj) has the better life with a mother that motivates her to go to college and a boyfriend (Andi Bajgora) that cares for her.
The film starts as a familiar coming-of-age story, pretending to be an enchanting story filled with natural sounds, dreamlike colors, and a lack of concern for chores and responsibilities. Nevertheless, Bajrami cautiously peels the reality of life in this small town and its static nature. Everyone seems to be stuck in unchanging surroundings, abandoned places, and a certain feeling of hopelessness. It is understandable when the girls make it clear that they can’t wait to go to college.
Bajrami offers clues about the current situation in Kosovo and the way the war of the 1990s shaped the country. She explores the violent past of her home country and the way its uneventful present shapes a future of minimal opportunities of growth. People are afraid to come back after the past diaspora, multiple gangs control the place, and the institutions are filled with corruption and disappointment. After waiting for two years to be selected to go to college, the three girls are rejected once again. Restless, hopeless and a little desperate, Qe, Li, and Jeta decide to create a gang, demanding for themselves the things that they were hoping to earn.
While the story is thinly joined by an ethereal script, Bajrami’s words shine as she illustrates the overwhelming experience of growing up. She aptly portrays the feelings of anxiety and fear of her generation.
The arrival of Lena (interpreted by the director herself), a girl that is visiting her grandfather for the summer, offers a new perspective. A Kosovar that lives in Paris (an evident wink to Bajrami’s life), Lena is overwhelmed by the prospects of her future and the need to decide by 20 what she wants to do for the rest of her life. She would prefer to not have options, just as the main characters. While they crave for freedom and options, Lena wants direction and an emotional bond like the one they share.
With its low-scaled stakes, feminine perspective and maturing storyline, Céline Sciamma’s influence comes to mind (Bajrami had a secondary role in Portrait of a Lady on Fire). The freedom of the camera and the unfashionable portrayal of life reminds of Mia Hansen- Løve’s style. Bajrami conveys sensibility and empathy in the way she portrays young women looking for a way out and finding constant obstacles.
The film changes its ways the moment the girls decide to become petty criminals. Their actions become reckless, and they descend into a nihilistic lifestyle as if they knew that this couldn’t last long. Bajrami finds the beauty in uncertainty and short-lived happiness, rejoicing in filming her three leads having fun and being physically and spiritually linked.
The main trio offers head-turning performances. Each one with well-defined personality traits. Flaka Latifi is reckless, daring, and intimidating, going through a mental awakening when she comes into contact with Lena. Uratë Shabani conveys an overwhelming sadness, giving a powerful performance with her eyes and reactions. Andi Bajgora merges anger and receptivity in her layered character.
The Hill Where Lionesses Roar is a promising directorial debut. Bajrami understands and knows how to portray the restlessness of her peers. She dares to be vulnerable by showing a rumination about her identity and the restlessness of growing up. The anguish and despair of the four young women presented on screen are recognizable and empathetic. The film is a dreamlike act of rebellion and just as it is about to turn into a nightmare, Bajrami brings everything to an end.
