In Unshattered (originally titled Lena and Vladimir), director Igor Aleksov crafts an unsettling, intimate story about two damaged souls who cross paths under the worst of circumstances. The film follows Lena and Vladimir as their unlikely connection pulls them into a struggle — and in a way, healing — neither expected.
Lena (Sara Klimoska) is a young runaway escaping years of abuse and exploitation from the leaders of the orphanage where she lives, who basically run it as a brothel for money and political favor. She flees into the outskirts of a crime-ridden city, stumbling upon a reclusive old man, Vladimir (Tony Naumovski), wandering in the woods. Willing to take a risk, she asks if she can stay at his home for the night. He immediately says no, but then relents to her persistence, telling her she must leave in the morning.
At his cabin, Lena notices Vladimir’s severe burn scars all over his head and body. However, he keeps private the guilt and shame from what caused his disfigurement. Over time, Lena reveals the horrible abuse she experienced at the orphanage when she arrived as a young girl. Having never lived an everyday life outside the orphanage walls, Lena quickly becomes emotionally attached to Vladimir, who is old enough to be her father. Vladimir is the only man she’s known with a moral backbone, as he rebuffs all of her advances and desperately attempts to set boundaries, like telling her to stop walking around naked.
Realizing that their friendship is becoming complicated, Vladimir plans to pass her off to his good friend, who will serve as her legal guardian. Feeling deeply betrayed, Lena runs away only to run into the hands of the police… and the head of the orphanage.
“Lena quickly becomes emotionally attached to Vladimir, who is old enough to be her father.”
Unshattered is a beautiful foreign film from Macedonia (probably my first from that country) about love, friendship, and healing. As you can tell by the story description, the relationship between Lena and Vladimir is incredibly complicated… especially by U.S. standards. This movie would never get past highly sensitive, politically correct cultural gatekeepers.
One much-needed concession is that Lena looks to be twenty-five years old, playing much younger, and to Sara Klimoska’s credit, she gives such an incredible performance as a ritual assault victim, that you believe what she says happened to her without ever having to see it.
The heart of Unshattered is the relationship between Lena and Vladimir. On the outside, we see Lena finding a man she can trust with her life, and she is emotionally torn between seeing him as a father/protector and a lover. From Vladimir’s perspective, he’s a man who knows he must protect Lena from her past and take the moral high ground. Yet is he doing this because it’s the right thing to do or because of his tragic past? It’s Vladimir’s goodness that made me love this movie.
This is a highly charged version of Beauty and the Beast, which plays with Vladimir’s disfigurement and Lena’s beauty, an object of men’s desire. Yes, townspeople are looking to recapture the beauty in an ironic twist. There is a fantastical element to this tale. One is Vladimir’s cabin, which is situated in an idyllic forest hideaway outside the city. It’s never too cold or hot, and Vladimir labors every day growing an immense flower garden. When Lena arrives, the garden blooms from her mere presence. It’s funny how I’m just noticing this comparison now. I haven’t even talked about the mafia-like third act.
Unshattered is why I love foreign films. It’s not hung up on American cultural politics but takes a massive risk to tell a beautiful story. Elements will turn off the morally prudish, but once you see the deep layers that actors Klimoska and Naumovski bring to Lena and Vladimir, you’ll see a touching, authentic story between two very broken people.
For more information, visit the Unshattered official website.
"…a highly charged version of Beauty and the Beast…"
