An Albanian village, 19th century. Tana persuades her husband Vangjel to marry their 14-year old son Gjino as soon as possible, in case she dies early. An arranged marriage is set up with the 20-year old Marigo, who loves Trim, but her family pressures her to accept Gjino so that they can get a lot of money. A notary and a monk are bribed to present Gjino as an adult man, and wedd him with Marigo. She is annoyed that she has to do all the chores in the household, while the only thing Gjino is interested in her in bed is when she tells him fairytales for good night. Finally, Trim captures the notary and a monk, ties their necks with a rope and demands that they annul the marriage. Gjino gives his blessing to Marigo, who divorces him and can now live happily with Trim.
An adaptation of a satirical book by Andon Zako Cajupi, this film is a biting critique of arranaged / forced marriages with at least one underaged partner, in this case a 14-year old boy Gjino (who looks like he is 12), as well as atavistic traditions in backward areas which are detrimental to society. Dhimiter Anagnosti's direction is standard and routine, with not that much sense for cinema, and, unfortunately, not much sense for humor, either, which reduces the impression of this film with noble messages. "A Tale from the Past" works mostly thanks to the wonderful performance by Elvira Diamanti as Marigo who has to marry the boy, and who sometimes teases his primitive parents to try to wreck the marriage. There are several absurd moments that ridicule the age of the 14-year old groom: the father draws a moustache on Gjino's upper lip, while on their wedding night, Marigo puts Gjino on a rocking cradle, rocks it, and then angrily tips it over. Marigo even jokes by placing a pillow under her blouse, around her stomach area, to feign that she is pregnant, causing panic among Gjino's parents, thereby revealing their awereness that their son is underage and unable to make anyone pregnant. Even more bizarre, Marigo has to work everything in the household, even physical labor such as digging on the field (!) which is usually expected from men, and thus the movie is critical of these traditions where women have to do everything while men just do nothing. The happy ending feels forced and too neat, numbing the sharpness that had more potentials in the concept than in the finished movie we actually get in the end.
Grade:++
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