Film REVIEW: The Beauty of the Donkey (2025) - ★★★★

Mix Up Theatre (Stewart)

14 hours ago

1 min read

Samizdat - Eastern European Film Festival 2026

Director: Dea Gjinovci

Writer: Dea Gjinovci

Starring: Asslan Gjinovci, Leart Gjiovci.

Genre: Documentary

After her father's 50-year exile, a filmmaker and her father return to Makermal, Kosovo, 25 years after a devastating war, to create a film combining his childhood memories with a quest for truth.

MIX UP REVIEWS:

Stewart - ★★★★

"Director Dea Gjinovci recreates her father's story as he returns to Kosovo in this moving documentary following the making of the film as well as the scenes of the film itself. A young family member plays her father in scenes and a symbolic house is rebuilt to set the scene.

The director does infulge in a few "arty" moments but it's the story itself which really resonates and her father's quest to find out what happened to his own parents. Prepare yourself for a devastating revelation at a run-down train station that is ultimately heartbreaking.

There's joy to be had in the film as well though as life continues on and there's a genuine spirituality that somewhat transfers itself to the new generation of the family. A unique film experience worth catching at this year's Samizdat festival."

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