Nor zara?
| Nor zara? | |
|---|---|
| File:Nor zara.png The film's theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Antoni Baŕutibengoa |
| Written by | Antoni Baŕutibengoa |
| Screenplay by | Antoni Baŕutibengoa Ortisa Zubizar Jenofa Fradua |
| Produced by | Oskar Olamendi |
| Starring | Ignazia Orzaiz Lehior Duranona |
| Cinematography | Itziar Eleta Inozencija Arajoa |
| Edited by | Baŕikada Pagoarte Barasil Barindano |
| Music by | tbd |
Production company | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country |  Lemovicia |
| Languages | Lemovician Miersan |
Nor zara? (Who are you?) is a 2005 Lemovician dramatic film, which is the first full-length film to be mostly in the Lemovician language to be produced in Lemovicia.
Set in 1979, the film is about a boy who is sent to his parents to learn the Lemovician language from his grandmother, as his family exclusively use Miersan, with the film depicting the conflict between West Miersa's Miersanisation policies and the desire for the Lemovician people to preserve their culture.
Plot
The film opens in Topagunea, where school had just ended for the summer. Hargin (Zesar Idoi) and Karolina (Majite Ińaŕitu), wanting to ensure that their son, Zakarias (Lehior Duranona) learns the Lemovician language, as at home, the family exclusively speaks Miersan, and they are worried that Zakarias was losing "his sense of self."
Thus, Karolina and Hargin decide to visit Karolina's mother, who lives in the fictional village of Baseŕi Cikia in the Egunsentian powiat. Upon their arrival, Letizia Laŕainzar (Ignazia Orzaiz) welcomes the family to their baseŕi, and tells Zakarias that "I will teach you the language of our people, and I will make sure you will speak it."
After a day where Karolina caught up with Letizia, and Hargin teaching Zakarias "some basic Lemovician," Hargin and Karolina return to Topagunea, leaving Zakarias with Letizia. Letizia tells Zakarias in Lemovician that "you will not speak Miersan in this house: your father has given you enough Lemovician to articulate your needs. With that knowledge, I will help you learn how to speak our language and be part of our nation."
Zakarias, while struggling to learn Lemovician, tries to pay attention to his grandmother, and to speak Lemovician instead of Miersan. However, his slow progress in Lemovician worries her, and when Letizia calls Hargin, she complains that Zakarias "was an imbecile who does not know how to speak properly." Hargin counters that Zakarias "has placed top in his class [in Year Three], and has done well with mathematics and history." Letizia counters by saying "the northerners are trying to destroy our language and our way of life, and that I don't give one iota about what they say about my grandson." She angrily hangs up after saying that.
However, Letizia soon decides that the best way to get Zakarias to learn Lemovician was to teach him "the history of our people." Thus, the next morning, over breakfast, Letizia tells Zakarias a story about Bikendi and his rebellion against northern rule. This interests Zakarias, who listens intently, and over the next week, his Lemovician improves.
By mid-August, Letizia calls Karolina to tell her that her grandson "was now a true Lemovician," and that he was able to converse fluently with her. Karolina, doubtful, asks for Zakarias to come to the line. Zakarias does so, and Karolina asks him how he's doing in Lemovician. Zakarias responds in semi-fluent Lemovician, after which Karolina says in Miersan "you don't speak proper Lemovician."
As Zakarias was about to reply, Letizia takes the line, and says that "you've raised him in an environment where you taught the language of the northerners, where you let him brainlessly absorb their culture, their identity, and then you have the gall to toss him onto me so I can teach him what you failed to do. You should not act surprised when he speaks like a toddler, my daughter, because you failed to teach him our language!"
Zakarias cried upon hearing Letizia's outburst, and wondered if he was truly a Lemovician, or if he was just a Miersan.
Letizia hears Zakarias cry, hangs up the phone, and comforts him, when Zakarias asks Letizia in Lemovician if he was a Lemovician or if he was Miersan. She responded that "you are a Lemovician. You are not Miersan, nor will you ever be one as long as you remember your lessons, so long as you remember that we lived in these mountains long before the Marolevs ever arrived here." This gives Zakarias confidence in who he was, and in turn this gave Letizia relief that her grandson was not worried about his identity.
Finally, at the end of August, Letizia invites Hargin and Karolina, as well as her son, Mancio (Albi Orobio) over for her birthday party. They all arrive, with Zakarias greeting his parents and his uncle in Lemovician. During the celebrations, Letizia tells all present that "I have been most delighted to have had Zakarias this summer: he can now speak our language well, and I'm proud to call him a Lemovician."
After Letizia's birthday party, Zakarias hugs his grandmother before leaving with his parents to Topagunea. On his first day back at school, he speaks in Lemovician that "I learned the Lemovician language," only for his teacher (Izabela Wyżykowska) to hang a Lemovician cow on him for speaking Lemovician in class, and orders him to "speak Miersan like a true Marolev." At the end of the day, Zakarias is ordered to head to the office as he was still wearing the Lemovician cow on his neck, with the film ending as Zakarias closes the door behind him.
Cast
- Zesar Idoi as Hargin Lubeŕijaga
- Majite Ińaŕitu as Karolina Lubeŕijaga
- Lehior Duranona as Zakarias Lubeŕijaga
- Ignazia Orzaiz as Letizia Laŕainzar
- Albi Orobio as Mancio Laŕainzar
- Izabela Wyżykowska as Zakaria's teacher
Production
Writing
The film was written by Antoni Baŕutibengoa in 1999 and 2000: Baŕutibengoa felt that "there was no full length Lemovician-language film, and in this day and age, it was important that we have at least one film, that we can tell our own stories by." He was inspired by his own experiences, as Antoni endured Miersanisation policies at school that sought to discourage the Lemovician language from being used.
Baŕutibengoa's script was presented to the National Film Cooperative in December 2000, where it was approved.
Direction
The filming of Nor zara? began in April 2003. Filming took place in a consecutive period between April 2003 and October 2003, with some scenes being reshot in early 2004.
Filming took place in Topagunea, with exterior shots being filmed throughout the city, and interior shots of both the Lubeŕijaga's house and the school being filmed within the National Film Cooperative studios. Filming was also done at the Arcajin Cikija Cooperative Farm, which was used for both exterior and interior shots of the baseŕi where Zakarias Lubeŕijaga stayed with Letizia Laŕainzar. The principal cinematographers of Nor zara? were Itziar Eleta and Inozencija Arajoa.
Nor zara? was directed by Antoni Baŕutibengoa, filmed by the National Film Cooperative, and produced by Oskar Olamendi. It was edited by Baŕikada Pagoarte and Barasil Barindano, and the screenplay was written by Antoni Baŕutibengoa, Ortisa Zubizar and Jenofa Fradua.
Music
The music of Nor zara? was composed by (TBC).