THREE DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
Republic of Macedonia/ Kosovo, 2015, 92 minutes, Colour.
Irena Ristic, Milica Stojanova, Salaetin Bilal, Adem Karaga.
Directed by Darijan Pejovski.
This is very strong drama about two women and their encounters during three days in September. The film is from Macedonia, an interesting story from the Balkans.
The initial focus is on a prostitute, Marika, working on the streets, being picked up and experiencing violence and stand overtactics from a thug who wants to recover money from for his boss. She fights back and kills him, fleeing the situation and going to a railway station, intending to go back to her mother.
The second focus is on Jana, perhaps the same age as Marika, who has done some medical training and is in a carriage on the train ready to go on holiday to the family home which she has not visited for years. She offers some sympathy to Marika which leads to quite some complications.
Marika follows Jana to her house and, more reluctantly this time, Jana helps her. There are quite some complications for Jana herself, memories of her father in the building of the house and an unfinished mansion by a lakeside. She meets again the owner of the local shop who had been a friend of her father and had helped finance the building. His son is the local policeman, lazy in his past, according to his father, but Jana’s father had helped him get into police college. The town is rather deserted, very few adults, and the policeman with very little to do.
We learn that in the past, Jana had had a fall at the age of 12 and had been in a coma for years. She also had a twin sister, Kristina. The policeman is in cahoots with foreign interests who want to buy the unfinished building and he tries to persuade Jana to sell.
The drama becomes more interesting as Jana discovers the truth, the policeman puts pressure on her about Marika as well is the building, Jana and her plans to help Marika as well as the audience learning much more about Jana herself.
Persuasively acted, offbeat in its story, a glimpse of life in the Balkans for those not familiar with those countries.
1. The title, the focus on the three days, the two women, their histories, their interconnections, their future?
2. The Balkan origins of the film? A Balkan story? Macedonia/Kosovo? Crossing the border to Bulgaria?
3. The streets with the prostitutes, the cars, the attack and the death? The contrast with the countryside? The train ride, the deserted town, the shops, the roads, the holiday house, the unfinished hotel? Local scenery? The musical score?
4. The focus on two women, different, the same? The interactions on the train, Jana and her helping, Marika and her injuries? Exchanging basic stories? Jana arriving, going to the shop, reacquainting herself with the owner, memories of the past, her father, building the house? The owner and his son helping with the building? The death of the mother and the father? Jana going to the house, Marika following her? Jana and warning her off, Marika waiting, her being invited in?
5. The two women interacting? The help? Jana allowing Marika to stay? Going for the swim?
6. Jana wanting to buy the ointment for Marika? Seeing the newspaper? Confronting Marika, the gun, the reversal of handling the gun? The background of hunting, Jana and her father? Jana and her talking about people who kill, wanting to kill again? The effect on Marika and her defending herself against the man extorting the money?
7. The visit of the policeman, the shop owner’s son, his saying his son was lazy, Jana’s father getting him to police school? The few people in the town? The son trying to persuade his father to extort money from Jana? His going to the house, staying outside?
8. Marika, getting lost, going to the house of the old lady, the chatter, the old lady recognising Marika was in difficulty?
9. Jana, the deal with the policeman, his wanting her to sell the hotel site, his contacts, the plan for a high-class brothel, his wanting the money for the commission?
10. Jana, her plan, her revealing herself as Kristina? That Jana had died? The revelation of the true story about the past? The policeman pitching himself as a hero and rescuing Jana? The truth about his sexual assault on Kristina, aged 12? The shooting of the bottles? The injuries to Jana, going into a coma for years? Kristina and her own studies, medical, wanting to find a new life?
11. Cutting Marika’s hair, giving her Kristina’s passport? The plan, Marika fixing the car? Jana and her cover story, that Marika had gone? Going to see the potential buyers, the cheque? Marika’s return, the rifle, confronting the policeman, her telling him the truth, shooting him?
12. Marika, going to the border control, her freedom? Kristina and her going to a future?
13. The Balkan story – but universal implications?
