Far from the Barbarians (1994): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1994, Far from the Barbarians is a drama film directed by Liria Bégéja, running about 93 minutes.

What it’s about. Zena (Dominique Blanc) lost her parents as a very young girl, and though she was born in Albania, only knows about life in Paris. She was raised by her uncle Selman (Sulejman Pitarka), whom she is about to leave behind in order to start a new life in New York. Just before she leave, however, she hears of an Albanian who is being detained by French authorities for want of the proper paperwork. Ordinarily, that would not capture her attention. However, Vladimir (Timo Flloko), who is the man in question, claims to have information that Zena's father is not dead, and could be located. Zena postpones her trip to speak with Vladimir and, once he is free to travel, they begin to try and explore his information. There is only one problem in their traveling around France together: he doesn't speak a word of French, and she doesn't speak a word of Albanian. Somehow, they manage to communicate, and they eventually become lovers.

Who’s in it. Far from the Barbarians stars Dominique Blanc, Timo Flloko, Ronald Guttman as Vincent and Sulejman Pitarka, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Far from the Barbarians page.

If you liked it. Fans of Far from the Barbarians tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.