Saimir is an adolescent from Albania, who ekes out his living on smaller criminal delicts. His father takes Albanian refugees to Italy illegally. This is his profession, and he refuses to take any responsibility for the refugees' fate. Saimir accompanies him, but slowly he starts to question these illegal transports. What bothers him is that he is in love and that he wants lo live a "normal" life. When one day a prostitute from Eastern Europe is in the back of their van, and Saimir and his father are supposed to take her to the brothels around against her wishes, Saimir just can't watch it any longer and takes an important decision…
With very few dialogues, no funny moments at all, long shots and greyish, damped pictures, the director creates a hopeless and depressing atmosphere, that more and more reflects on the spectator. An unpleasant side effect of this way of telling the story is, that one starts to get bored. Only in the last third the movie gathers way again and leads the audience deeper and deeper into the milieu of faciliators and prostitutes. You feel with Samir, see him torn between his father, the illegal transports and his conscience and start feeling increasingly weird, until the movie ends in a hopeless finale.
In my opinion "Saimir" is an interesting movie, because the topic of traffic in human beings is very important. Unfortunately the movie doesn't manage to tap its full potential, in parts it is long winded and at times even boring. Therefore one doesn't feel so strong with Saimir anymore and doesn't concern oneself with the topic fully.
An actually important movie, which doesn't convince fully. But as the movie shows the topic of traffic in human beings so realistically and convincingly, it is best worth watching.