Glory

This is a movie about a simple, honest man who gets caught up in and ground up by PR hype, investigative journalism, politics, corruption, and, in general, the modern world of which he is not really a part.

I won't recount the plot, but for me, things took a fairly predictable path from start to finish. That's not a bad thing, but it's nice to have a few surprises.

The two main characters are well acted.

It is a low budget film. With obviously restricted means of production, the filmmakers managed to describe accurately the main aspects of the everyday life in the region. The story nicely depicted the pathology of the political and social system which prevails in the Balkans and not only in Bulgaria. To my mind, the references to the European Union were excellent and clearly made the point that the idea of a united Europe is an illusion. The basic characteristics of the social attitudes and human relationships in the given environment were very well presented. The acting was convincing, but the camera work was not so good. Maybe the film will not be so appealing to audiences used to watching Hollywood super productions or audiences looking for ways to escape into an ideal imagined world. But it is a direct, honest, true and plain approach to a very interesting way of life in a very interesting part of the globe, where people struggle to improve the quality of their lives, preserving at the same time their traditional values. The impact of the above contradiction is nicely emphasized in the film.

Slava (2016) is a Bulgarian film shown in the U.S. with the translated title Glory. It was co-written and co-directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov.

The movie stars Stefan Denolyubov as Tzanko Petrov. Tzanko is a low-level rail worker. He stumbles upon a huge amount of cash, and honorably turns it over to the state railway.

That's when his problem starts. The railway ministry is under attack because of the "carriage problem," and also the theft of diesel oil by its employees. The good news about an honest workman is just what they need to put a positive light on their agency.

That's where Julia Staykova comes in. (Portrayed superbly by Margita Gosheva.) Staykova is head of railway public relations. She seizes upon this opportunity to use Tzanko to advance the agency and her own career. What happens to him is not her concern.

Actually, Tzanko is the harder part. He's a humble man with a serious speech defect. He doesn't want to be a hero, and he's uncomfortable about being pulled out of his quiet existence. Denolyubov portrays him very well.

Although the part of Tzanko is harder, this is really Staykova's movie. She knows everyone, cares about no one, and does whatever it takes to accomplish what she wants. Her personal life keeps getting in the way of her work. (Of course, you could reverse this sentence, but I wrote it they way I think Staykova would look at it.)

Margita Gosheva, who plays Staykova, is a famous actor in Bulgaria. She's extremely talented, and she makes the movie work.

This film worked well on the small screen. It has a strong IMDb rating of 7.6. I thought it was better than that, and rated it 9.

After nearly half a century under Communist regime, countries of the former Soviet Union Block find themselves in a terrifying moral limbo: concepts such as self-worth, civic duty, integrity and compassion have been systematically eradicated in the name of Party Rule to a point where a simple act of honesty can be met with derision and disbelief.

New forces now shape the daily lives of people and their effect is most ugly to behold. Servility coupled with arrogance, total absence of empathy, corrupt practices and disdain for the rule of law or the fellow human being - these are the themes so aptly explored in this cinematic gem from Bulgaria.

The two leads are superbly cast and acted, juxtaposing old versus new morality. The story itself unfolds in the style of a Greek fable and it is this very simplicity, delivered with no frills, that packs a considerable moral punch. Don't miss!

Astonishing low budget film. One by one, it is able to show the weakness of the different powers, from politics to press, and how greed pushes the to take shortcuts, that obviously carry victims.

The plot, although original is quite simple, however it serves to its purpose, elaborate this accurate picture from Bulgarian politics, press, gangsters, middle and working class. Every of it showed through the eyes of a man, whom despite of his awful economic situation, has never lost his naive glance. Educative story from the hand of poetic pictures, in which the UE is commonly involved in a second plan.