There’s nothing that Ben (Don Shala) wants more than to see Leo (Leonik Sahiti). There are, sadly, a lot of things keeping them apart. Ben lives in Kosovo, a country where gay people have rights and trans people have some rights, but he also lives in the countryside where presumably, he’s the only gay person in his high school. He meets Leo in a chatroom – this is way before the apps, by the way. Leo, despite living in German, summers in Kosovo and they plan to meet by August. Thing is is that Ben is leaving to immigrate to America.

Much of I Love You More is about Ben trying to convince his family to move their plans around so he can meet Leo, and part of that convincing involves telling his mother Nora (Irena Aliu) to move the flight back to August. The film’s main relationship, then, is between Ben and Nora, the latter willing to do anything to make her son happy even if he’s drowning in teen logic. Cynical viewers may look at the plot here to question why he’s holding on to his first love. But then again, we’ve all been at that stage, right?

I Love You More also gives other reasons for Ben to stay in Kosovo outside of it being the place where he can Leo can meet. The film photographs Kosovo beautifully, making its fields looks like a place where one can call home and a place where all kinds of love and people can thrive. It’s also very good when it comes to its below the line categories. Things like costume and props take viewers back to the early 2000s. This is director Erblin Nushi’s feature length debut and here he delivers a film with delicate detail and pace.