Mirage

School bullying and a shocking explosion of violence turns the already miserable life of a 12-year-old boy into microcosm of contemporary Macedonia. Shy, sensitive Marko (Marko Kovacevic) lives with his parents and sister in the beleaguered Macedonian capital of Skopje in a dilapidated house that mirrors the country as it faces ethnic Albanian uprisings, ethnic strife and the threat of dissolution. Marko's father, Lazo (Vlado Jovnovski), is an alcoholic who spends most of his time and money at the local bingo parlor, arguing with his equally drunk buddies over failures of the Soviet Union and waiting for his number to be up. Marko's mother, Angja (Elena Mosevska), pa...