Some families you are born into, and some you choose. In filmmaking, this "found family" trope has served as the basis for tons of great movies, from "Shoplifters" to "The Holdovers," "Paddington" and more. But it's used to especially heartwarming effect in "Housekeeping for Beginners," an energetic North Macedonian drama from writer-director Goran Stolevski ("You Won't Be Alone," "Of an Age").
The film debuted at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Queer Lion award, but I saw it when it was finally released in the U.S. last spring. It centers on the unconventional and often chaotic family that forms after one parent is diagnosed with cancer, and despite that sad premise ended up being one of my favorite movies of the year. The movie could quickly slide into melodrama, but Stolevski crafts the film with a skilled hand, offering up an intimate portrait of a ramshackle clan struggling to come together as a unit.
