Hakie – Haki. Ein Leben als Mann.

Hakie is 71 years old and lives a self-sufficient life in a hamlet in the Albanian alps. Everyday life in this rural backwater is shaped by an archaic separation between the roles of men and women. Following the parents' death, Hakie has inherited the house and farm and since then has lived alone, working in the home, meadow and the fields. A way of life that women are normally prohibited from leading, were it not for a religious prophecy.
Is Hakie a man or a woman? Hakie is a 'Burrnesha', a sworn virgin. They are biological women who have pledged to remain virgins in order to live in society as men. Hakie lives 'the life of a man' with great resolve, with all its freedoms and restrictions. Although she is in no way inferior to men of her age, the consequences of her decision to change her gender role are hard-hitting. For, whilst the men around her are cared for by their offspring, Hakie must master her harsh routine alone. She carries this out with a strength which leaves a great impression. The film accompanies Hakie in her daily life and lays bare just how constructed identity and gender roles are.