Synopsis

The dream of being a homeowner brings thirty-year-old Bekim from Albania to Amsterdam. He leaves his girlfriend Marta behind in Tirana to make big money in the Netherlands. However, once arrived there, all he manages to get is a job as a garbage man. Frustrated and unhappy with the income opportunities in this industry and allured by the shady character Van Doom, Bekim switches to the drugs and sex trade. Soon, he is swirled into a precarious spiral of violence and crime. Although this is a story well-known from various Hollywood movies, Fatmir Koçi's new film cannot fail to impress. For several years, the director has focussed on this kind of problems, using the genre's conventions to draw attention to social abuse in the Utopia of Europe. With appalling accuracy, he describes the wheelings and dealings within the sphere of Amsterdam's criminal community, where drug and human trafficking is part of everyday life. The film's message is that, eventually, it's all about money – whether in Tirana or in Amsterdam. What is lost on the way is love. When Bekim finally returns to Albania, his problems follow him hot on his heels. Amsterdam Express is an in-depth study of a particular social environment, directed in an oppressively realistic manner, with strong action scenes.

Guests

Enzo Brandner

Director of Photography Amsterdam Express

Fatmir Koci

Director Amsterdam Express