Dita (Marinca) and Suada (Serban) are lesbian partners who live in a cramped apartment with Suada’s two daughters, sullen teenager Vanessa (Mustafa) and adorable, sassy Mia (Selim), who’s much younger. The couple also rent a room to Toni (Tintor), an angry, reticent gay man. Before succumbing to cancer, Suada begs Dita to adopt her girls, which requires that Dita and Toni marry. Predictably, this creates an even more chaotic household, but there may be a silver lining too.

Shot documentary-style for maximum impact, Stolevski’s intimate feature of one dysfunctional family made up of unlikely parts and players is intense, heartrending, and unexpectedly touching. Marinca carries the film as the largely stoic Dita, a middle-aged social worker grieving her partner who tries to honor her last wishes. It’s a difficult, often tenuous process, yet the prevailing conflicts are offset by moments of warmth and laughter, mainly thanks to Ali (Samson Selim), a young gay hustler who Toni brings home and then decides to stay. An affecting story about the messiness of love, loss, and life, “Housekeeping” cleans up.