Svetat e golyam i spasenie debne otvsyakade

I think that Bulgarian cinema is the one I'm the least familiar with; I'm not sure I've seen more than a couple of films from Bulgaria. And yet, here you have this movie practically no one knows and it's a masterpiece. Everything about it is just so breathtakingly beautiful. The characters are so frank it's unbelievable, they find themselves gradually, and at the end you hold your breath expecting to see what is going to happen.

If this were a Hollywood film, I'm pretty certain it would be awful. There are elements in this film that are clichés - but this is where powerful film-making comes into play; you can exploit a cliché in such a way so as to make it a staggeringly original statement.

And even if many times for many of us, it doesn't really seem as though the world is big salvation lurks around the corner, this movie effortlessly makes you believe it does, and that's enough of a reason to watch it.

I had an opportunity to see this feature during Warsaw Festival. It made an extraordinary impression on me, and not only on me - audience immediately fell in love with it. If you are tired of full of special effects blockbusters on the one hand, and on the other you're not in the mood to watch another depressing art movie, "The world is big.." is the best answer to your demand. Of course, it's not perfect, sometimes it is even awkward - the director still has to work hard on his craft, but, after all this movie will lighten your heart. Life is worth living, life is worth acting, that's what this film is about. Miki Manojlovic is more than charming as an energetic, "crazy" grandfather who teaches his withdrawn grandson how to appreciate life. And - believe me - having watched this movie, you will start thinking about traveling through Europe on bike. Balkan spirit still works!

As soon as the movie meets the audience (especially a particular group of generations) it feels like classics. Inspired by auto-biog novel of Ilija Trojanov published in 1996 and directed in 2008 by Stephan Komandarev (coevals born in the middle of Communist era in Sofia, Bulgaria) this move is devoted to the people that were rendered "enemies of the nation" in their own country. Bai Dan is a real Bulgarian (it is worth noting that the role is played by the Serbian, Miki Manojlovic - Underground (1995)) which everyone will agree had met at least once in his life. He is a dice master who knows how to deal with the chances in life, he is brave, he is wild and yet he is naturally wise and humble Christian. Now it is time to play he's most important game - he have to help his grandson to find his lost soul. The personage's character is really admirable and like everything else in the move is marked by the natural charisma of the intelligent masterpiece. There are a lot of background symbols throughout the script and as the movie answers a lot, it inevitably opens the Pandora's box defining the post-communist societies in Eastern Europe. Political issues are presented in a skillful adjunct with the personal drama and doesn't bother with details and references more than necessary while standing in the heat zone. Perfect camera, astonishing sight-seeings - this move is a real advertisement and an open invitation for the artists and the common EU travelers.

Pros: Very natural film. Very good reproduction of the communist Bulgaria and the lives of people who tried to survive that time outside and inside Bulgaria. The emotions go through the whole film without breaks. Excellent acting, excellent cinematography by inter-twisting the past and the present without losing the pace of emotions. Very simple and strong plot. Another confirmation that the perfection is actually in simplicity.

Cons: One mark on the leading actor Carlo Ljubec...his accent made it difficult to go deep in the role. As if he was struggling with speaking out his lines in Bulgarian which was not an advantage but Miki Manolovic play was so strong that balanced this.

Been from Bulgaria, knowing the country, the traditions, the mentality of the people I can tell, that it was great and honest acting - just as you could meet the people and their spirit in the streets.

To my luck, I live in Germany and can also identity and totally understand and even see some of my own experience, feelings and everything the characters are going through on the silver screen as I did myself in the most realistic, authentic and beautifully possible way by settling to an other country. Not only having this background - and even the same name, as the main character Alex - this movie can touch your heart.

Knowing some current Bulgarian movies - in my opinion - this is definitely THE best movie of the past few years. Honestly, I cannot remember anything more touching form any country for some past time. I had wet eyes during some scenes - either it was from laughing or from really deep emotion.

This movie deserves watching.