Shame and Money

After a dispute leaves middle-aged Shaban and his wife without their cattle, the couple finds themselves with no choice but to abandon their life in the countryside for the capitalist hubbub of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. There, despite help from well-off relatives, their struggles to find work are further complicated by the grim, transactional nature of city life and its constant reminders that they are starting anew at the bottom of the ladder. The third feature of the Cologne-based Visar Morina returns to his home country for a sharply observed social drama. True to its title, Shame and Money explores the link between money and self-worth: the violence of capitalist exploitation along rural-urban lines and against the backdrop of Southeast Europe.

Sundance Film Festival: World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize