Granitza

A story about border patrol guards in a remote outpost in Bulgarian hinterlands whose main task is to catch runaways who have triggered an alarm system mechanism set up to prevent its own citizens, Bulgarians, from crossing the border to escape the Communist regime during the Cold War. Failure of the guards to capture those who breached the wired fence meant that they would be the ones punished by their tyrannical captain, and accomplishes it by denying the border guard draftees their vacation leaves and/or contact to loved ones, which takes a bit of a toll on their morale with some of the despondent ones getting more and more desperate in finding ways to entertain themselves or end their service altogether. Well-written story with some traces of humor given such a bleak subject matter, the progression is pretty much straightforward, not much is told regarding the backstory of the main characters but the narrative is meaty enough for the viewer to understand the character's motivations for doing whatever they did.

Krasavetza, a newbie border guard, the name when translated through Google Translator, it comes out as "gorgeous" which comes off as a rather a condescending feminine nickname given by the senior border guard Popa whom he gets to be partnered with. I don't understand Bulgarian language, so that might be a thin explanation. Don't people in such organizations baptize neophytes like that anyways? But still, take that with a grain of salt, please. It is the partnership of the two male leads that's the focus of the narrative. A riveting performance from a ruggedly handsome Popyourdanov who plays Popa in the film that perfectly complements the just as intense and clean-cut Volev as Krasavetza.

A gem of a film based on real life events concerning issues that still remains as relevant as ever.

My rating: B-plus.

The film was accepted very badly by the people feeling nostalgia towards the communism in Bulgaria but honestly speaking, this is probably the best film ever made for that era.

The movie is a gathering image of the cynicism, hypocrisy and the deception in the late communist society of the country. Practically, it is based on real statistical data for the people killed trying to cross the border and escape from the communism to neighbouring countries - 105 casualties officially recorded in the period 1962 - 1990.

The movie reveals the personal tragedy in choosing to kill in order to get ''free'' from the ''system'' represented in the film by a military border check-point. The film makes a very good contrast between what is moral and free, on one side, and how failing in morals actually leads to murders in the hypocritical world of communism, on the other side.

The film contains some repulsive scenes, which are not intended for children, but as a whole it sounds pretty authentic and the film crew deserves only admirations.

Understandably, not easily acceptable by the general public, not a funny and leisure-time movie, but a true and honest picture of the decay of the late communist times.

I went with a great desire to see the movie , because I knew well the life of the border. My expectations were for a film that truthfully and in a interesting way to talk about the border between the two worlds - as it was the southern border of Bulgaria before 1989 . Expected to see a movie with a message . Expected this message to be created in an interesting way for the viewer . Admit that my disappointment was complete ! This movie is manipulative and boring. The authors have tried to imitate Hollywood action movies , but the result is a mix of exaggerated and far from reality scenes that do not achieve the desired effect . The script is banal .The movie has no message to audiences and it has repulsive aesthetics . The acting is amateurish level . Most actors are inconclusive and can not make the viewer believe in their characters. Bulgarian cinema has many good films , but this is definitely not among them. I am sorry that I lost my time watching it !