Vreme na nasilie

This, shown also in Cannes (Un certain regard), film is about personal and group tragedy. It perplexes and unfolds, complicates and simplifies the main character's contradictory points of view.

It is a very intensive story about important historical events happened 3 centuries ago and barely known to people today. It also reveals forgotten personal values in modern life like honor, self-conscious, independence, deep love.

It is an epic film showing beautiful feelings weaved into a political and religious drama.

It is time of violence. Time of blood and vengeance. Time when life doesn't matter but only the last thing left: People's faith.

The movie is indeed one of the biggest Bulgarian classics. As they say, if you're Bulgarian, you must have watched it. And if your heart doesn't tremble when you watch it, you're not a Bulgarian.

On the other hand, I like very much one quote from one of its resumes: "The film is painted on a large, sweeping canvas, with many characters and subplots, all cleverly woven into a single story. And, surprisingly, this isn't a "vile Turk" story. Director Ludmil Staikov has much more ambitious goals, including an examination of the power of religion and of the destructiveness of violence and fanaticism. Not all of the Christians are good, nor all of the Muslims bad." And I agree with this, the movie is not black and white - neither in real colour, nor in character's colour. Even the "most evil characters" have their inner struggles and their reasons, while even the "nicest characters" have their flaws and weaknesses. Like all human beings...

So, the script is great, the acting is great, the music is touching, the scenery is magnificent - no wonder this is one of the very few Bulgarian movies (if not the only one), which have foreign subtitles in its DVD set.

P.S. Indeed, the movie is definitely not for minors, not only because of the scenes of violence, but also because they would hardly understand its true meaning.

This movie explains the story of the people that lived in the region of Rodopi mountains in Bulgaria during the 17-th century. This is a region in south-central contemporary Bulgaria. All the facts presented in the movie are true, I don't mean now the small details but the general idea - What used to happen during the period, that the movie describes. I read somewhere a comment for the movie, sounding like this: "The movie is interesting, but the happenings are not real." Well I will give you one incontestable fact in favor of the main line of the movie: Bulgaria falls finally under the Otoman conquerors in 1396 and gains its independence in 1878. The population before the first date is only consisted of orthodox Christians. Now in contemporary Bulgaria, besides the ethnic Turks also known as Bulgarian Turks, there is a specific group of people that speak Bulgarian language as their native language but their fate is Islam. These people are mainly located in the Rodopi mountains, where the story of the movie goes. History of the Balkans is full of blood and violence. We can live now in peace and on good terms, but this doesn't mean to strike the history out, because we all should know where we come from.

This is one of the most sad movies on all time. Unfortunately you have to be Bulgarian to understand how sad the movie is. Or at least - you have to be keen in The Bolkans history and what the Bulgarian people have gone through. I am sorry to disappoint the writer of some of the comments about the movie - but in fact - it does show what exactly the Turkish army have done with the young bulgarians. Taking small children and making them a fanatic killers who are absolutely trust to the Turkish emperor has been done for over hundred of years. And the movie shows the whole pain and drama of the Bulgarian families who lost their children.

What could i say about this magnificent movie? This is the story about courage people, who live between the Orient and the West Europe. There is no place like that and if you see this movie you will understand that. In the end of 14th century the Bulgarians lost their independence. The conquerors are Osman Turks. Their device is " Burn, kill and destroy "! Before them the Bulgarians have the strongest and most powerful country on the Balkans and in all East Europe. Their culture is advanced, they have the first alphabet among the Slavs. Now a lot of the Slavs have their Cyrillic alphabet- Serbs,Rusians,Ukranians,Belarusians,Macedonians( that belong to the Bulgarian ethnic group )and else.They defend bravely and selflessly their territories but finally lost the war.The Bulgarians are orthodox Christians but the Turks are Muslims.Important part of the aggressor's politics is to convert Bulgarians to Mohamme-denims,because only thereby they could become the slaves of Turk's empire. So,this will be the the biggest hardship for this breve and selfless Balkan people. Shell they survive and defend their culture and lives you will understand only if you see the movie. Believe me, this movie will crush you down!Do not miss it!