Der Albaner

Arben is Albanian. With his father, he goes back and forth between Greece and Albania to make some

money. It’s enough as far as Arben’s family is concerned but it’s not enough to get married. And at

20, Arben is deeply in love with Etleva, a girl who lives on a farm close to his in the mountains. She’s

pregnant with Arben’s child but her father wants 10.000 euros for her because he has debts. Arben

promises he will get the money within six months and decides to go to Germany.

But Germany does not wait for him and in Berlin, Arben has no visa, almost no name, he is ”the

Albanian“. To survive, he starts working for a cleaning company, he sleeps outside and makes barely

20 euros per day. Everything changes when he meets Slatko. Slatko is ill, he has pneumonia and

Arben saves his life by taking him to a doctor. This friendship opens doors for the young Albanian.

He enters the human trafficking business, a business full of risk and money. Arben is good at it but

he has chosen the wrong side. His Serbian boss is killed by a Polish rival.

Under pressure, alone, with no time left, Arben realises that he can only count on himself. More risk,

more money. One night, Arben murders the Pole and steals thousands of euros. Now he can return

home to marry Etleva. He has the money, a brand new car, some tailor-made clothes. He’s a new

man. But nobody waits for him in Albania. He is too late. Etleva was rejected by her father after giving

birth alone. And when Arben finally finds her in Tirana, love has turned into hate. Etleva has stopped

waiting. Arben wasn’t by her side when their child was born. He did not fulfill his promise.