Completed - BULGARIAN, RUSSIAN - Thriller, Comedy, Drama - 114 minutes
Without realizing what happens just inches from the ground , everyone clings to his own grotesque existence.
Year of production : 2016 Director(s) : Maksim GENCHEV Writer(s) : Maksim GENCHEV Cast : Simeon FILIPOV, Tsvetomir ANGELOV, Desislava CHUTURKOVA, Evgeni BUDINOV, Ivaylo ASPARUHOV, Tsvetomir NECHEV, Zlatka KEREMEDCHIEVA, Matey GENCHEV, Goran GUNCHEV Producer(s) : Zlatina FILIPOVA (AMRITA ART)
A border post in Bulgaria in 1954. The mind of little Michael is full of kaleidoscopic panoramas of naïve socialism, Balkan Stalinism and the Cold War. His father is a strong border lieutenant (Kolju Kralev) having his misplaced ideas of duty and lofty heroism. His beautiful mother (Tsurka) in her dream of a Coco Chanel perfume, naively mixes up family honor with the pink wings of her youth , locked up in the military barracks.The happy saga of people fulfilling their duty to their country is suddenly overshadowed by the emergence of a saboteur and a series of tragic events. As a combat commander, Lieutenant Kralev takes responsibility for the extraordinary incidents. In fact, the evil genius of the outpost appears to be the deputy commander for political work – a charming guy who is constantly entangled in love triangles. Visions of an innocent girl , leading little Michael somewhere, are imprinted on his mind. At the climax of events, while trying to escape from the evil saboteur, Michael plunges down a steep slope towards an invisible chasm bellow.The dramatic comedy of dozens of human lives (military and civilian ones) unfolds in an Amarcord style (I remember), on the brink of self-irony and fateful tragedy. It appears everyone is clinging to their grotesque existence over the abyss, without realizing what is happening just inches from the ground. Through this all little Michael makes a child's imprints of a bygone era that has to be experienced by adults now, sixty years later.
Country(ies) : BULGARIA
Sofia IFF 2016 (Bulgarian New Cinema)