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Albanian cinema has never had much exposure on the international film circuit, but if Gjergj Xhuvani's "Slogans" is indicative of the region's movie making skill, that might be about to change very soon.
When biology teacher Andre (Gorishti) takes up a job in a small village in the mountains, he quickly discovers that his new school is more interested in indoctrinating the pupils with revolutionary principles than in teaching them anything on the syllabus.
On arriving he's summoned to discuss whether he wants to take "Up with the Revolutionary Spirit" or "American Imperialism is only a Paper Tiger" as his class slogan. Since he's expected to spend the rest of the day helping his pupils construct the words out of stones on a nearby hillside, choosing the shortest slogan is important.Taking a satirical swipe at the Communist regime, "Slogans" is a scathing attack on the ignorant and imbecilic nature of fanatical politics. Endless meetings, points of order and discussions of ideology have become so commonplace that no one can blink without offending some obscure party doctrine. When the local party leader discovers that one old man has been tending the out-of-date slogan "Vietnam Will Win" for the last decade, he has him hauled up on charges of not showing enough interest in the worldwide state of the revolution.
Underlying the film's comedy, though, is the very real threat of the party's malignant power. As denunciations, work camps, and ideological "re-education" take their toll on the film's characters, the absurdity switches from the hilarious to the tragic.
For all its comedy, "Slogans" is painfully aware that when absolute power lies in the hands of imbeciles, laughter won't be enough to save anyone.
In Albanian with English subtitles.
