Actually, writing a reviews far back in time after the premiere, should be done without giving actual stars. Stars make sense if given right after the premiere, and not based on nostalgia, as this review is about. I put 10* because of that, if there had been a voting system back then, and if I'd been alive then, I'd put it 8 out of 10 stars.
Back to the movie.
I've watched it several times, and it is a masterpiece in the sense of storytelling. It has laughs, tears, bad man, lovely kids, war, orphanage... all in one.
Also directing is strong, regarding directing actors, but also creating a "mood" of the epoch. The director, is one of the best Albanian directors ever, and he shows his mastery of the art right here, in this movie. It is a "kid's movie", yet it is not.
Acting is also superb, with some of the heaviest names of the Albanian Cinema of that era building solid characters. (Agim Qirjaqi, I'm looking at you!)
Said that, the movie is filled with propaganda and historical inaccuracies - for example, the life inside am orphanage of the period - which sorts of devalues it's content. There are numerous testimonies after the 1990, that put the credibility whole storyline in quest.
