By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Ivaylo Hristov
Starring: Ivan Savov | Michael Flemming | Miroslava Gogovska | Stoyan Bochev | Svetlana Yancheva
Original language title: Strah
Country: bulgaria
Year: 2022
Running time: 100
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13175334/reference/
Michael says: “This Bulgarian film is a fascinating take on a story that has been very much in the film zeitgeist over the past few years. Hristov tells the story of the lives of a small town whose social and economic life gets exponentially smaller when the harsh winter sets in. Svetla is a widow who recently lost her job, who encounters an African refugee and after an antagonistic introduction, slowly warms up to his plight and tries to help him, much to the suspicion and consternation of the rest of the town. Superficially, this is not a new story, but by underpinning the characters in that powerful cinematic motivator: grief, their motivations and behaviors become richer and deeper. This is a far superior film to the similarly-themed, French film, A CHANGE OF HEART, that I saw as part of the Belmont World Film Festival, which felt flat and uninspired. Svetlana Yancheva brings the expected acerbic gruffness to Svetla, but layers her empathy and grief carefully throughout her performance. Big cinematography (the film is shot in black & white for the most part) and storytelling props go to director Hristov, and cinematographers Emil Christov and Emil Kristov. 4 cats”
Chris says: “I would watch an American remake with Frances McDormand and, say, William Jackson Harper, but only if they use the line of dialogue, ‘In the bathroom there is shit but it’s from the heart’ as the tagline. 3.5 cats“