Sarajevo review: On The Way (2024)
“Forget films, for God’s sake!”, one father tells to another while they both wait for their sons’ football training to end. He defends the claim by stating the obvious: it brings no money to the table. He is right, but he also forgers one thing – filmmaking is the work of passion. It also comes with consequences for the one who does it: often it can be done in the person’s native context, no matter how unpleasant it is.
The Kosovar filmmaker Samir Karahoda might be onto something backed up either by his personal or his colleagues’ experience in his third short film (and his first completely fictional one) On the Way. Karahoda debuted with the documentary In Between in which he dealt with the phenomenon of the usually empty houses the wealthy fathers build for their sons who work abroad, followed by the hybrid Displaced that followed the destiny of a Prizren ping pong club that has to move from one place to another constantly.
As Displaced, On the Way also premiered in Cannes, heading for a tour of festivals afterwards. We caught it at Sarajevo, where it was screened in the short film competition, while its next stop on the festival tour is Toronto.
Once the training is over, the filmmaker picks up his son and they go on a series of errands on their way to the airport to pick up the wife / the mother. While driving they engage in a series of conversations in which the son asks quite philosophical questions such as what good will it be for them to stay in the country from which pretty much everybody he knows either leaves or wants to. The father tries to provide honest, compelling answers, but he is going to be denied by the country and its paradoxical system in a way too precious to spoil.
Although On the Way is a scripted fiction film, Karahoda cannot help observing with the eye of a documentary filmmaker. The inside of the car takes centre stage in usually longer takes, but Karahoda also lets the pieces of the paradoxes in the Kosovar society enter the frame from the background and stay with them long enough for the viewers to feel and make sense of them. The naturalistic acting of the cast combined from the professionals and non-professionals serves the purpose perfectly, as does the autumn colour scheme consisting of earthy browns and greys, while the song In the Sunshine by Jonathan Bree as the only piece of the soundtrack hits the melancholic mood perfectly combining the old-timey melody with the synth sound.
Original title: Rrugës
Year: 2024
Runtime: 15’ 06’’
Country: Kosovo
Language: Albanian
Directed by: Samir Karahoda
Written by: Samir Karahoda, Miron Karahoda
Cast: Miron Karahoda, Ylber Mehmeti, Kumrije Hoxha, Anton Nrecaj
Cinematography by: Samir Karahoda
Editing by: Enis Saraçi
Sound design by: Labinot Sponca
Sound recording by: Gëzim Rama
Art director: Leonora Mehmeti
Produced by: Eroll Bilibani, Samir Karahoda
Production company: SK Pictures
Supported by: QKK, Arte, ZDF, Yle, DokuFest
Sales by: Radiator IP
