In Faraway an older woman finds herself and her past in Croatia on a gorgeous island. It’s funny and clever and directed by Vanessa Jopp.
Faraway stars Naomi Krauss as Zeynep, a 49 year old woman. She’s from Turkey, lives in Germany with her husband, daughter, and father. Her mother just passed away.
On the day of her mother’s funeral, Zeynep has two surprises. Her husband Ilyas (Adnan Maral) is fooling around with a younger woman. And her mother left her a house on an island in Croatia. Her teen age daughter, Fia (Bahar Balci), has hated her since she hit puberty. Things aren’t going too well at home, in other words.
Why not head for Croatia and see what’s there?
After a long day of driving, riding the ferry, taking a bus, and walking a long distance in the dark, Zeynep finds the house and falls exhausted into the bed. In the morning she discovers there’s a man in the bed, too.
Josip (Goran Bogdan) lives in the house. He promised Zeynep’s mother he’d move out if her daughter ever showed up. Well, she showed up and she’s not happy with the man living there. They fight immediately in that way that lets you know they’ll soon be in love.
Yes, it’s also a romance.
As Zeynep deals with issues around the house and its unwelcome occupant, she slowly realizes she’s happy with the simple life on the island. She finds her way back to herself. She decides what to do about Josip, her marriage, and her life by the end of the film.
I don’t think I’ve seen the actress Naomi Krauss before, but she’s lovely. She does an outstanding job with this role as a woman coming into her own later in life.
The film was beautiful. Gorgeous views of the coast. Lovely old stone buildings. It took Zeynep a while to figure out if she liked the place, but I wanted to live there forever. Well, maybe if they add running water.
You can see the trailer. The film is on Netflix.