My Lake (2020)

A bright, intelligent teenager, KRISTO, sits at his desk in a classroom. On the chalkboard, the teacher has written an essay topic: ‘My Lake’. Kristo ponders the meaning of these words as he writes: “The lake can give you everything if you just know how to ask.” Kristo looks out the window and recalls the events of the past few months. Young Kristo lives in a village at the edge of gorgeous Lake Prespa, a body of water divided on the borders of three Balkan countries – Albania, Macedonia and Greece. The proud owner of a small fishing boat, Kristo takes full advantage of this geographic situation. In order to support his family, Kristo has become a smalltime marijuana smuggler, using his boat and knowledge of the lake waters to transport drug packages from the Albanian to the Macedonian side. Over time, Kristo has grown to idolize the two male drug dealers he works for – the sneaky, aggressive ISMAIL and PASKO, a wanted criminal who supports his wife, DITKA, and his aging mother. Yet changes begin to occur in Kristo’s world. Kristo begins to question his life choices as he develops a crush on his smart, caring teacher, MIRANDA. Ismail makes a fateful decision to take over all the drug trade on the lake. In the ugly grab for power that follows, Kristo is badly beaten. Pasko is drawn into a police ambush set up by Ismail. Right in front of Kristo’s eyes, Pasko is shot dead. In the chaos, Pasko’s mother dies from the shock and Ditka flees the village. When the small fishing community believes Kristo is responsible for Pasko’s death, the boy realizes he must put a stop to Ismail’s dangerous rise. Kristo avenges Pasko by pretending to set fire to an important drug shipment, an action that brings about the death of Ismail. Bidding goodbye to his criminal past forever, Kristo destroys the money from his drug dealing mentors. The story ends as it began with Kristo completing his class essay on what the lake can bring to those who only know how to ask.