Written and Directed by Goran Stolevski
Starring Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban, Vladimir Tintor, Samson Selim, Mia Mustafi, and Dzada Selim

After being equally blown away and smitten by Macedonian Australian writer & director Goran Stolevski’s previous film, Of an Age, there was just no way I could resist the opportunity to watch and write about his newest movie, Macedonian drama Housekeeping for Beginners. While this film’s plot is worlds apart, metaphorically and literally speaking, from the real-time love story depicted in Aussie gem Of an Age, some commonalities the two films do share are the opportunity viewers have to be in the present moment with its very human characters and form a connection as they exchange unreserved dialogue.

Living under the roof of a home owned by Dita (Anamaria Marinca) is her strong-willed partner, Suada (Alina Serban), Suada’s two daughters, rebellious teenager Vanesa (Mia Mustafi) and the much younger and cheeky Mia (Dzada Selim), Dita’s friend Toni (Vladimir Tintor), and his new and much younger 19-year-old partner, Ali (Samson Selim). The already shaky bonds in this refuge of sorts for those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community are tested when Dita becomes a makeshift Mum to Suada’s two daughters.

I cannot deny that at the absolute heart of this film is a heart-warming story filled with flawed characters who despite all of their differences and dramas, want to stay together. However, I found them mightily challenging to be in the company of for close to two hours. So much of the dialogue they exchange with one another might be unreserved but it’s also unpleasant and hard to appreciate. There is almost constant bickering and bagging, making it very difficult to bond with any of them and feel empathy for them. The story is satisfactorily developed and possesses plenty of capability to be the wholesome movie experience I’m sure it intends to be, but it struggles to bring substance and depth to proceedings. Dita would have been the perfect character to realise these aspects through as she must deal with her own personal grief and conflicts as an impromptu mother simultaneously, but the screenplay just seems to steer away from unpacking anything of this kind.

Housekeeping for Beginners is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from May 9th.

Moviedoc thanks Maslow Entertainment and Nixco for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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