Man of the House

In the mountains of Albania, Fran lives as the ‘man of the house’ – a traditional Burrnesha, a woman who has vowed to live as a man and head of the family in order to gain freedom and ensure her family’s survival. With rugged determination, he drives his minibus, holds his own in a tough, male-dominated world, and keeps his past at arm’s length. But this fragile balance threatens to be upset when his eleven-year-old niece Zena, following an accident, becomes dependent on his care and ‘motherly’ devotion. What begins as a duty turns into an emotional ordeal: as Fran helps Zena get back on her feet, repressed feelings come to the surface. Between care, tenderness and fear, a closeness grows that does not fit into the life Fran has built for himself. When Zena’s father returns and wants to take the girl away, Fran faces an existential decision: to cling to his own role or to open himself up to the possibility of closeness, responsibility and change.