Zift

Watching this innovative black and white noir thriller, I kept thinking that Frank Miller must have written it, so perfectly does it fit the sensibility of his Sin City comic book series. Innovative, not exactly original: one can indeed detect the influence of any number of famous noir flicks, most notably D.O.A. But it's executed so perfectly that I wouldn't want to complain. My wife said that the film was rich in allusions to Bulgarian life and culture which went right past me. She is definitely not a genre fan but she really liked this movie. Certainly the best Bulgarian movie I've seen since the magically-realistic anti-communist fable The Well.

This movie has given back to me the hope that Bulgarian cinema is going upward! Tha last few bg titles that i've seen all seemed to have a problem - they were weird (in terms of plot, acting, locations, camera angles). And just because a movie is tragic, strange, original and twisted doesn't mean it's good. Yes, maybe it can move you. Maybe. Maybe one can admit that the movie is totally genuine. But that still doesn't mean it's a masterpiece. Something is just missing for the movie to be enjoyable and moving while you're in the theater and mind blowing when you get out and think it over. The missing parts probably are the perfect storyline of Zift, the look of Zift, the action of Zift, the soundtrack of Zift, the grotesque humor of Zift! That's what makes the film of Yavor Gardev so successful - perfection itself!

This is the top of the Bulgarian film industry,I think.Not forever,but for the past 25-30 years.This is the Bulgarian movie,that has the biggest chance of winning ANY award worldwide.It's about the drama,the innovative story told by it,and the acting.The old school Bulgarian actors like Djoko Rosich for example,along with the younger actors,made a great masterpiece of the already brilliant script. My new favorite film,getting "The Shawshank redemption" off the top. Congratulations Bulgaria,you made me proud with your present achievement for the first time.You made me proud with your past only,but until I saw this! 10/10 from me!

" Zift"is a stunning surprise that came from Bulgaria. Black and white noir, dark comedy with a brilliant camera work and lighting. It makes you nostalgic for the old pre-color days, when the directors had to be extra creative, and shadows warmed your heart more than flames ever could. The incredible parody spots wicked sense of humor, especially with the fake Russian songs and surprisingly quite a few homo-erotic images. War and weapons usually get coupled with phallic symbols. Eros and Thanatos in it purest form. It is an immense pleasure to encounter such talented and smart artists, these days of simplicity and proud lack of novelty.Can we have some more, please.

I must say I am not a fan of Bulgarian cinema even though I am a Bulgarian myself. All the films I have seen until this point were very disappointing and could only be compared between themselves because films outside Bulgaria had always stood above in terms of cinematography, acting,Direction, Budget etc. Of course many would say this is not true, films during socialism period were many more and much better in terms of quality. While this is true that certainly does not make them foreign standard. The acting is more like theatrical than cinematic and the picture quality has more white spots on it than mount Everest, not to even mention the Sound. Cinema after 1990s had not improved much.

I do not remember when I heard about Zift, I think I found it on IMDb, so I decided to check out the Trailer. I was blown away, for the first time in my life I was so excited about seeing a Bulgarian film. Yes It did took me a while since I live in the UK but I did saw it yesterday.After seeing it I felt depressed and had mixed feelings about it.I am going to analyse the film in positives and negatives.

Positives: - First Bulgarian neo-noir film - First Bulgarian film successfully presents the Thriller and Action elements in genre. - Very Good acting, especially from the Zahary Baharov and Djoko Rosic - First Bulgarian film to use cgi, I know this could be a negative but in this case it is used very well. - Monologue is absolutely outstanding in some parts. - Unlike most recent Bulgarian films this one is not set around just one location. - For its small Budget, a very good recreation of 1960s Sofia. - Awesome Soundtrack - Good Humor in places.

Negatives: - Too short, 85 minutes felt too short to fully achieve its potential. - Many unnecessary scenes involving downgrade humanity and dialogue which focus on 'toilet humour' - Too much nudity, this is something which all Bulgarian films suffer from but this one takes it on another level.(This may not be a negative to all but I generally do not like too much nudity, I believe there is different films for that purpose.)

Overall I believe the positives overcome the negatives and In conclusion I must say I liked Zift even though by no means its a masterpiece. It is very likely to be enjoyed by people who are fans of films like, Trainspotting, Irreversible, Requiem for a Dream, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover and Tarantino's work.