The plot follows the torments of middle-aged Nicola (Julian Vergov) desperately trying to mend the broken ties with his loved ones a day before leaving for Germany.
According to Vesnakov, who wrote the script, the idea came to him six years ago, but because of different bureaucratic reasons he had to wait for the start of the shoot for five years. “As a result, the tone of the story changed considerably as my own personality has changed. During the forced downtime my ideas became more radical and darker”,Vesnakov told FNE.
“My whole attention centered on the main character, revealing him as a refugee in his own country. Despite his sincere efforts to receive forgiveness for past sins from his family, his life falls apart”, Vesnakov added.
The cast includes Vasil Banov, Elena Telbis, Gerasim Georgiev-Gero and Stefka Yanorova.
The 2019 shooting lasted for 32 days and took place mainly in residential suburbs of Sofia, like Mladost, West Park, Slatina, which are places where the director grew up and felt at ease.
The DoP Orlin Ruevski shot the film with a hand-held camera. There are not more than a hundred frames, most of which last six, seven minutes. “We wanted the camera to move with the main character although this requires much more attention. Generally, I do not like to explain things, I prefer to suggest them instead. I want the rhythm of the film to follow the rhythm of life, therefore there is no music either”,Vesnakov also commented.
The film is a Bulgarian/German coproduction between Moviemento and Heimathafen Film & Media, supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Fund.
The domestic premiere of the film was held on 13 March 2021 within the 25th Sofia FF, where the film won the Special Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Award.
The commercial release is planned for 2022.
Production Information:
Producer:
Moviemento (Bulgaria)
Monica Balcheva
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Orlin Ruevski
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Coproducer:
Heimathafen Film & Media (Germany)
Credits:
Director: Pavel G. Vesnakov
Scriptwriter: Pavel G. Vesnakov
DoP: Orlin Ruevski
Production designer: Severina Stoyanova
Costume designer: Marieta Spasova
Editors: Pavel G. Vesnakov, Victoria Radoslavova
Cast: Julian Vergov, Vasil Banov, Stefka Yanorova, Elena Telbis, Gerasim Georgiev-Gero, Ivan Nalbantov, Meglena Karalambova
