A hunted child will find refuge in the house of the enemy. The host faces a terrible choice: save the child's life or risk losing his own family.
In the midst of World War II, a boy finds temporary shelter in the home of the legendary Albanian war hero Nuredin Doka after fleeing from fascist persecutors who killed his parents and burned down his village. However, when the same paramilitary unit demands the boy's execution, Nuredin must choose between his own honor and the lives of his family, questioning the brutal difference between personal and collective interests. Nuredin, a Muslim and an Albanian, opens his home to a child of the Christian faith during a time when one's name and nationality were matters of life and death in the Balkans. When Nur runs out of options, he is faced with a choice that will challenge his principles and define his legacy. The question is: what will Nur do?
In the middle of the WWII, a young boy is chased by a Muslim paramilitary fascist unit, which had just killed the boy's parents and burned down his village. Running for his life, the child hides in the house of a stranger, a man of different faith than his own. The owner of the house turns out to be the legendary Albanian hero from WWI - Nur Doka, a man whose heroism has been the stuff of legends for decades. Nur's house gets surrounded by the Albanian paramilitary, as they chase down the boy; they demand that the boy be brought out to them to be hanged. Should Nur refuse, the paramilitary will kill him and his entire family to set an example. Nur now faces a stark choice: protect the boy, as his honor commands, and forfeit the life of his family - or surrender the boy and loose face. Nuredin, a Muslim and an Albanian, opens his home to a child of the Christian faith during a time when one's name and nationality were matters of life and death in the Balkans. When Nur runs out of options, he is faced with a choice that will challenge his principles and define his legacy. The question is: what will Nur do? Through the story on sacrifice, questioning the difference between collective and personal interest, the film THE TOWER OF STRENGTH not only asks question about the price of individual human sacrifice, but - the intention of the director, producers and scriptwriters is that this film story becomes the paradigm on the price of honor and measure of moral principles, particularly today and here, both for those who adhere to morale and those who lost the connection with this term.
The term of sacrifice: the issue of collective vs. Personal interest
During the World War II, one child - escaping from the prosecutors (the squad of paramilitary forces of fascists who killed his parents and burnt his village) - seeking for the salvation of his life, will find a short-term safety in the house of a legendary hero from the World War I - NUR DOKA, a man whose courage and honour have been spoken about for decades. Being in the house of Nur Doka, this child will put at risk the safety of his household and his family: Nur's house is surrounded by Albanian (para)army (the army of his nationals) which requires the child to be taken out and killed. Otherwise, in order to make this be an example for others, the para-army will rush into Nur's house and kill all the inmates.If acted upon the request of the para-army - by such act, the honourable Nur Doka would violate his own, but also general, centuries long moral principles, according to which he has been living and upbringing his children (which are not abided by the para-army, as they are eager to plunder and kill), as well as the long-term honour of his predecessors and the house. Stretched between the defence of his honour and the defence of his own family, whose safety is put at risk (and in the position of a victim - due to the specificities of the logics of moral and common law), Nurhas the following choice: to preserve the honour and maintain the centuries long moral code by risking the life of his family, or to sacrifice the life of an unknown child who crossed the doorstep of his house (and thus lose the honour, preserve the life of the inmates). The dilemma does not offer too much time and possibilities, and the share is great.Before making the final decision, the main protagonist of the film, legendary hero Nur Doka, will use two rational opportunities to overcome this situation:believing in the glory of his bravery and his name, he will go to talk with the commander of the para-army unit and try to make him pardon the child;hoping that there is another adequate solution of the common law (the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini), he will go to talk with the village judge and seek the solution. At the end, when he realizes that nobody can help him, that there are only humans and non-humans, regardless of their religion and nation, Nur will make a decision related to the fact that the honour is more valuable than the life and that (at the cost of the life of all the inmates) he will not give the child who sought salvation in his house.
Nuredin, a Muslim and an Albanian, opens his home to a child of the Christian faith during a time when one's name and nationality were matters of life and death in the Balkans. When Nur runs out of options, he is faced with a choice that will challenge his principles and define his legacy. The question is: what will Nur do?
Through the story on sacrifice, questioning the difference between collective and personal interest, the film THE TOWER OF STRENGTH not only asks question about the price of individual human sacrifice, but - the intention of the director, producers and scriptwriters is that this film story becomes the paradigm on the price of honour and measure of moral principles, particularly today and here, both for those who adhere to morale and those who lost the connection with this term.
