Caught this the other night. Loved it.
Albanian girl, the Lorna from the title, is in a sham marriage to a clingy junkie named Claudy. Marriage is even more of a sham than it appears; Claudy is being paid for the marriage believing it's so Lorna can inherit his Belgian citizenship, but mobsters have orchestrated the enterprise so they can ultimately kill Claudy off using the convenient excuse that he O.D'd so Lorna can then marry a Russian Mob Dude so he can have her newly minted Belgian Citizenship.
Hijinks ensue!
Fairly contrived plot, but it unfolds in a beautifully languid manner that felt equal parts effortless and deftly controlled. Definitely a film where the central performer, Arta Dobroshi, carries the entire film. She has this uncomfortably serene, glacial and detached quality that is just amazing; there are only two sequences in which she shows any emotion towards her "husband" and both times you question the validity of her expression. Her removed coldness informs the ambiguity of the scenes beautifully. I was never really sure how much guilt or genuine emotion she really had towards Claudy. The pivotal moment with that character played off screen which really threw me and created an even more detached and remote sensation than everything previous to it.
My friend I watched it with hated the ending and felt the whole thing was just a contrived mess, but I really got into it. Had a tone and timbre about it I really liked.
Highly Recommended!
Albanian girl, the Lorna from the title, is in a sham marriage to a clingy junkie named Claudy. Marriage is even more of a sham than it appears; Claudy is being paid for the marriage believing it's so Lorna can inherit his Belgian citizenship, but mobsters have orchestrated the enterprise so they can ultimately kill Claudy off using the convenient excuse that he O.D'd so Lorna can then marry a Russian Mob Dude so he can have her newly minted Belgian Citizenship.
Hijinks ensue!
Fairly contrived plot, but it unfolds in a beautifully languid manner that felt equal parts effortless and deftly controlled. Definitely a film where the central performer, Arta Dobroshi, carries the entire film. She has this uncomfortably serene, glacial and detached quality that is just amazing; there are only two sequences in which she shows any emotion towards her "husband" and both times you question the validity of her expression. Her removed coldness informs the ambiguity of the scenes beautifully. I was never really sure how much guilt or genuine emotion she really had towards Claudy. The pivotal moment with that character played off screen which really threw me and created an even more detached and remote sensation than everything previous to it.
My friend I watched it with hated the ending and felt the whole thing was just a contrived mess, but I really got into it. Had a tone and timbre about it I really liked.
Highly Recommended!
