Shok Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
Whilst in Kosovo, I asked a Kosovan what Kosovan film I should watch. He told me to watch Shok. If you don’t know much about the Kosovan War, or anything at all, go spend 21 minutes watching this film. You’ll learn a lot.
Why Watch Shok?
- To learn about the war crimes committed in the Kosovo War (contentiously not termed a genocide because the aim was forced migration rather than destruction of ethnic Albanians).
- It’s a film from Kosovo – so you’ll be able to tick off Kosovo from your film checklist
- Shok is only 21 minutes long – shorter than your favorite TV shows
- If you love all coming-of-age films
The Breakdown
Shok starts with a shot of the Kosovan hills in autumn. A Mercedes drives towards the camera and stops in front of a bike lying on the ground. Two guys hop out the vehicle. The driver tells the other to move the bike and get back in the car, however the passenger tells him to drive on without him.
As the passenger picks up the bike and cycles down the road, the film flashes back to the 1990s during the Kosovo War. You see the war through two boy’s friendship. Firstly, they are told off for being out after curfew. Secondly, when Oki stays over you can see images of Serbian tanks on the TV – the news reader tells us that many have been massacred. These are the signs that life is not normal for these two boys despite their joyous friendship.
However, the filmmaker leaves plenty of clues that things are not going to end well. Firstly there’s the first scene – why does this man get out of the car to ride a bike along an empty road? Secondly the director sews together a few scenes with apocalyptic images in monochrome. One of them is of a bike laying on the road, wheels spinning. The other shows a swing swinging on it’s own. Both are ominous signs that signify the ultimate forced migration of Albanians out of their land.
Conclusion
Shok is a powerful short film that will show you the war crimes that took place in the Kosovo War. It packs as much into 21 minutes as a feature film would in 100, without feeling rushed. Shok was the first Oscar nomination from Kosovo and is well worth 21 minutes of your time. Go find it on iTunes or online now!
As for more films which explore life living in a conflict and under occupation, I’d check out Omar and Ajami which both explore the Israel-Palestine conflict.