User Reviews

As a Bulgarian I've been let's put it nicely okay with the fact that there's not much of a cinema scene going on in our country. But this time I was actually stunned and amazed.

Amazing work, honestly hands down one of the best Bulgarian Films I've ever witnessed. The story was great ,acting was on par there were actual sense of what's going on and why ,not just randomly shot scenes. The dialogues were realistic with good use of slang and cussing.

The sound was great which I was not expecting honestly.

Colour, mood, camera movements and story telling all great.

I won't spoil anything it is an absolutely catching story that will keep you planted to your seat till the end. It doesn't have plot twist or anything but honestly it doesn't need them it tells the story of regular prisoners and what goes on it their world, what they strive, believe and deeply wish for each one of them for something specific and special.

Good watch, and again congrats to everyone involved. It was a pleasure.

This must be defined as The Bulgarian "The Shawshank Redemption" & "The Green Mile" In one movie! Even the music and the filters used were reminding me all the way of these great classic movies. It is Pretty heavy to watch and character's phrases weren't very clear and were so bassy but still not a bad movie for sure. Good Actors that not only Bulgarians but many others know well from "Undercover" (Pod Prikritie). Another thing I would like to underline is the powerful presence of Igor Angelov that brought real pressure to the atmosphere. Giving it 6 stars but just because I was always making reffrences to the titles allready mentioned above.

This movie is just all heart. You can feel that the movie will be good in the first 10 seconds when the inmates are singing the national anthem and the soundtrack kicks in. Just the melody has returned you to the times when you first watch the Green Mile or The Shawshank Redemption. I know, I know, you will say "What? Your comparison is with those movies? ". Well the feeling is the same, the narration for the viewer feels real and powerful and makes you want to know more about the characters and you suddenly feel them closer to your heart.

All the scenes are shot perfectly. We are kinda used for the bulgarian movies to be highly lit , without thinking of the cinematography too much ....but this one .... man i love every shot of it . Executed they way it should , so that you not be distracted from anything else. Mr. Makariev has outdone himsels again, prooving ..to me at least..he is the best director in this country and deserving of much more praise than he gets. (we see other movies and directors be talked about more).

I won't mention the acting , because .... damn the slang they used (like it should be used in every movies, because that is the way you can feel the emotions in the actors, not just some theater way of talking to show how many years we have played on the scene) . Every actor is perfectly chosen . They embodie their character perfeclty in giving the raw emotion.

And the soundtrack !! I think Victor Angelov (correct me if i am wrong , but read it somewhere) is reponsible for this masterpiece of emotion and hope intertwined together to emerge the characters like phoenixes from thier Destiny.

A big bravo to all involved and i sure hope so , that the movie brings a lot of bucks , so that the talent of this director continues to bring us a reason for believing that a bulgarian movie can be nominated for Oscar....... because this movie deserves it.

The plot line is similar to The Green mile movie, but the performance is under this level. And it's not up to the actor's play. It's about the scenario. Could have been more intriguing and a bit faster, because it reminded me of a soap series, especially in the last 40 minutes.

Kind of boring in the end.

We watched this great movie. After seeing my girl friend crying, I realized that there is a future in Bulgarian cinema! I'm not a film critic, but I can say that I felt every emotion represented by the actors on the big screen! I recommend you go to the cinema and watch this movie!

Definitely the best Bulgarian movie in the last 30 years! Everything made professional and with modern technology. Actors were outstanding. This is a movie i would watch every week. Simple, humane, touching, inspiring... Words are just not enough. Must see even from non-bulgarians.

Hats down to the team, and please bring us some more of the same!

Decent script (Yes, very similar to The Green Mile, Showshank Redemption, etc.), poor directing, some hit and miss camera work (excelent ending shot btw). Terrible sound (as if I was watching a pirate copy, recorded in a movie teather). The worst part are the dialogues. Terribly unconvincingly written, as if translated from English to Bulgarian. The only words which sounded natural from actors mouth are the curse words.

On the other hand, all this was shot in 21 days with almost no budget. They even forgot to mention it is based on a real story (!). I hope they read this and next time make much more real film and stop stealing lines and cliches from Hollywood. They even stole the FBI/ US Police constant fight for dominance in US movies and mirrored it in 1978 Bulgarian film. And I didn't even try to count the plot holes. I hope the next one is better!

There is hope for Bulgarian cinema. The movie was beautifully shot for the most part with some very dramatic scenes. Overall good actor play, the movie would have been a lot, lot better without Bashar Rahal, he delivered a very underwhelming performance that contributed absolutely nothing. Definitely ruined the scenes between him and the prison director as they ere rendered quite shallow.

It's a sad fact that a decent amount of reviews on this site are paid for. They're easily recognizable by bad English, limitation to five lines and exaggerated enthusiasm, but usually limited to big budget Disney releases and the like. For an Eastern European film, this is rather rare, so one might give the film the benefit of the doubt. But it's really not worth it. The script is a horrible mishmash of "Shawshank Redemption" (sepia-toned aerial shots, grave off-screen narration), "Cell 211" (prison hostage situation) and "Green Mile" (menacing giant with a big heart, albeit no superpowers). The whole set-up is cringe-worthy since the crisis evolves around a dove captured in a machine, with no explanation how it was supposed to get in there. The audience is expected to believe that prisoners would risk their lives for the sole purpose of rescuing a bird, with no option to escape. This is supposed to be symbolic as illustrated by a sappy soundtrack, but this is obviously an attempt by an ailing local industry to sway some international viewers to pay attention to their product and bag a marketable award nomination. The result is as pathetic as a Moskvich with Mercedes hubcaps. There are some good Bulgarian films, but those tell their own stories and don't try to come up with a festival hit formula.

A very powerful story, told in a very powerful way. Excellent cast and cinematography. The setting is the communist era central prison and metallurgical plant Kremikovtsi in Sofia. Reminds me of the Green Way in a way.

I still can't find any words to describe what this film did to me. I watched it yesterday and still I'm high on emotions. I wish that people like the director Martin Makariev could get a chance to direct a Hollywood movie, so the world could see what talent we have in Bulgaria. The Actors - Brilliant, the Script - Brilliant, The Score - Brilliant. Thank you so much for making me and my family believe in that good still exists around the world!

I liked the tralier but I didn't expect anything. What should be said about this movie, is that anyone must watch it. It's a thrill-ride, it's touching, it's funny and in the end it takes your heart out, it takes your breath away and it says: - WE CAN DO BETTER!!! At least I'll try from now on!

This is what Bulgarian cinema has been reduced to in the last 20 years. Another movie about the communism/socialism for people who have no clue what it really was, by people who have no clue what it really was, played by the same handful of actors, seen in every other Bulgarian movie. I pity the fools who have rated this with anything more than 5. These are the types that either hold an irrational grudge for the past (a very popular social behavour in modern Bulgaria), come from the target generation of confused and not that bright young people, or are part of another popular movement - lemmings who would praise anything that can be labeled as Bulgarian culture, just because there is severe lack of it. The sad reality however is this is just another shallow melodramatic cliche by mr. Makariev that suffers from the century-long technical gremlin every Bulgarian movie ever had - incoherent audio levels that make it annoying to watch.

Thanks to all team for the experience in front of the big screen. You're GREAT and leave your print in Bulgarian cinema history, you give me a reason to be proud.

All is perfect - actors, sound, picture, the story - oh, what a story...

This movie.

This movie must be watched! Brilliant acting, deep human characters and great dynamics of the whole play. It touches harts in many levels. Congratulations to everyone in this production!

This movie is different from the movies (Bulgarian's and Hollywood's) for the last decade. The script is not for lollipops, popcorn and kiss in the end. It is real, like life itself. All is there - great story, perfect scenes and impressive acting. I cannot stop think about it, even hours from the end. It is my all time favourite movie.

It is unfair to expect Bulgarian movies to compete with top-notch Hollywood productions which exceed their budgets by many many times. Instead of focusing on comparisons to Hollywood movies, it is important to appreciate this film for its own merits and artistic vision. Of course it may be similar to a movie you have seen, similarities can be found in many movies all the time. While some may criticize Bulgarian movies, others may appreciate them for their unique perspectives, cultural insights, and emotional impact. With that said, this particular movie is an excellent example of Bulgarian cinema and is worth watching for its ability to evoke strong emotions and keep the viewer engaged. I do agree however that the dialog quality was not as clear as one can expect.

This is one of the best bulgarian movies I have ever watched. I definitely recommend everyone to go see it. My hope for bulgarian cinema is back and I am thankful for the emotions this movie brought to me.

The heart of the machince touched my heart... My expectations were way surpassed by the performance and the music and the plot and the idea (1978 is 33 years ago )... A great movie All the best things that can be said are not enough to say that it is the film that Bulgarian Cinema should be proud of.

A set of great actors and soundtrack. The topic and the way it is revealed is not beyond expectarions but it is presented in a humane and realistic way.

I would definitely recommend the film.

Every minute is worth it.

Watch this movie !!!

Great story, inspired by real events. I loved the screenplay and the cinematography. Great work of the actors and even a few surprising moments. I would definitely recommend it!

There's a ton of info, reviews, videos and text around the net about this title...

Forget about everything, JUST GO and SEE it for yourself.

This movie is ONCE!

Submitted by Bulgarian cinema for the best pic in the Oscars is definitely a worthy in every aspects of film making,though seems to be simple the way it strikes u raises the standard of Bulgarian calibre .... Kudos to Martin makariev no words to say but enjoyed a finest piece of cinema... Be it Bohemy,Krazi, Cleaver or iglata...Captain vekilsky or Kozarev one can easily remember the character's name that's where the strength of movie anchors in ur deep heart.... Wouldn't like to te review anything about plot as the movie speaks a lot definitely a movie with a substance that will make u thirsty for more passionate films across the globe ..... Don't miss this hidden gem!!!

That's the third prison film I watch in my life where it is question of a bird: after Alan Parker's BIRDY and John Frankenheimer's BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. Maybe the director gave this as a tribute to those films, those classics. The bird in question is not the main line of this character study, this intelligent, brilliant movie from Bulgaria. And also a tribute to the GREEN MILE with also here a gigantic colossus, and I just remember also a bird, even for a short scene, or maybe more. So, I know now the references that the producers and screenwriters used to make this film. Which is not a copycat though. Just the ending is a bit disapointing for my taste. The Hatchet character is not played by a bodybuilder, no, only by a tall man with under his clothes some ridiculous padding. A blind man could notice it.

Heart-touching story! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this movie. I watched it twice and would watch it again! Enjoyed very much the visual aspect. The acting performance is outstanding. They don't act, they live the story! Makes you happy but it will also fill your eyes with tears, leaving a mark for a very long time. Amazing!