Written and directed by Maja Novakovic, co-written by Jonathan Hourigan, set in the harsh yet beautiful landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina, following an elderly man (Emin Bektic) living in isolation, weaving together a tapestry of dreamlike visuals as it records the routines of his daily life.

With At the Door of the House Who Will Come Knocking, Maja Novakovic scales everything all the way back, it’s almost pure observation. She’s asking you to focus on the details, with lots of thoughtful close shots, to dig into the larger meaning. It certainly helps to have a picturesque location that has plenty to add, the themes of isolation, loneliness and being adrift from society are heightened by the superb landscape shots. The cinematography (also by Novakovic) captures the coldness and sparse nature of Emin’s existence extremely well.

Loneliness is one of the strongest elements of the documentary because Novakovicand Jonathan Hourigan portray such depth to it, without needing to use a lot of editing and stylistic choices to highlight it. It’s plenty poignant and clear on its own, just from the very minimal interaction that we see Emin have with fellow villagers. They’re surprisingly impactful, seeing how much he yearns for even brief human contact and how important it is for communities to support one another. So, to see how he doesn’t receive that, is almost heartbreaking.

At times, Novakovic even brings through a really intriguing playfulness, veering into a folk horror styled atmosphere. Helped a lot by the score (by Luka Barajevic) which is extremely strong work and is invaluable to At the Door of the House Who Will Come Knockingoverall because it enhances and embraces everything it has to offer. The score combined with those creative visual choices help to bring out a bigger personality to the film.

At the Door of the House Who Will Come Knocking is a quietly compelling exploration of isolation. The atmospheric setting adds fascinating layers giving it that dreamlike, folk tale quality. It’s intriguing to watch how it unfolds and evolves as time goes on, unravelling different psychological layers but also adding personality with a creative edge. Maja Novakovic makes a lot of smart choices to step back without entirely letting go of control, letting this story speak for itself but adding touches here and there to bring it further out of its shell.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯ | 8/10

Celebrated its World Premiere at Sheffield DocFest 2024 & won the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition