Housekeeping for Beginners

"Home is where you belong."

2024 1h 47m MK

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 24

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dita, who, despite never aspiring to be a mother, finds herself compelled to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters—Mia, a tiny troublemaker, and Vanesa, a rebellious teenager. As their individual wills clash, a heartwarming story unfolds about an unlikely family's struggle to stay together.

“Home is where you belong.”

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Cast

Anamaria Marinca
Dita
Alina Șerban
Suada
Samson Selim
Ali
Vladimir Tintor
Toni
Mia Mustafa
Vanesa
DŽada Selim
Mia
Sara Klimoska
Elena
Rozafa Celaj
Flora

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Goran Stolevski
Writers: Goran Stolevski
Languages: French, Albanian, Macedonian
Countries: Australia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Albanian, Macedonian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 8 countries: Australia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Goran Stolevski, shot by Naum Doksevski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alen Sinkauz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Goran Stolevski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anamaria Marinca and Alina Șerban and Samson Selim carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Home is where you belong.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Goran Stolevski directs. Naum Doksevski behind the camera. Alen Sinkauz scores. Goran Stolevski cuts. Produced in Australia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, United States of America. Dialogue in French, Albanian, Macedonian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 2 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Albanian, Macedonian.
3International production across 8 countries: Australia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, United States of America.
4Directed by Goran Stolevski, shot by Naum Doksevski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alen Sinkauz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Goran Stolevski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Anamaria Marinca and Alina Șerban and Samson Selim carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Home is where you belong.".
9IMDB entry: tt24244436 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 24 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Naum Doksevski
Original score: Alen Sinkauz
Editing: Goran Stolevski
Production design: Anna Rzeźniczek
Costume design: Roza Trajčeska
Sound: Pete Smith
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: MK
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Housekeeping for Beginners (2024)

Awards

Queer Lion

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Goran Stolevski

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2024-07-11
★ 6/10
Alternative “family” structures have been around for some time now, and they’ve assumed a variety of forms, both domestically and overseas, as well as in their essential composition. And, in a number of cases, it has taken some trial and error to figure out what works best for these diverse groupings, depending on the various factors that characterize the individuals involved. Such is the case in this profile of a multi-ethnic, mostly LGBTQ+ household in Skopje, North Macedonia that struggles to find a harmonious footing when stricken by a tragedy involving a family matriarch (Alina Serban). Those left behind (Anamaria Marinca, Vladimir Tintor, Samson Selim) must figure out how to regroup, particularly when it comes to the care of a belligerent adolescent (Mia Mustafa) and her sweet, young, surprisingly worldly half-sister (Dzada Selim). It’s especially challenging for those in charge, given that they’re not terribly experienced at (nor overly interested in) the responsibility for such matters. They truly find themselves engaged in a crash course of “housekeeping for beginners,” one that finds them with one foot each in the middle class world of Skopje and in the impoverished world of nearby Shutka, an enclave of Roma (a.k.a. “Gypsy”) culture. Writer-director Goran Stolevski’s third feature outing provides an intriguing look at life in locales that have not received much cinematic attention, depicted through the eyes of an eclectic mix of characters living lives far different from what one typically finds in most conventional households. This domestic comedy-drama gets off to a somewhat rocky start, mainly due to a failure in identifying the nature of the relationships among the principals, and a narrative that can be rather episodic at times, with resolutions to its multiple story threads that feel incomplete or end abruptly (most notably in the final act). Viewers probably would have benefitted from some additional information about the ethnic backgrounds of the characters, too, given that many viewers are likely unfamiliar with the cultures involved. However, once the picture starts settling down and finding its rhythm, this release definitely gets stronger and more involving as it progresses, touching audiences profoundly, given that the situations that arise are often universal in nature, no matter what structure a family unit takes. “Housekeeping for Beginners” definitely has its strengths and touching moments; it’s a little disappointing, though, that there aren’t more of them. Greater clarification and consistency in the storytelling would have done this offering a world of good in its depiction of a world otherwise seldom seen.

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