Film Forum

Frank Capra by way of Bulgaria. When a disheveled railroad worker discovers fistfuls of money on some rural train tracks, he turns over the dough to the police. The grateful authorities reward him with a televised ceremony and a new wristwatch to replace his old one (a family heirloom). But the glitzy new watch stops working and the smarmy, workaholic publicist for the Ministry of Transport can’t seem to find his old one. The man’s nonstop attempts to get his beloved old watch back wreak havoc on her efforts to use the heart-warming story of an honest good Samaritan to distract public attention from a burgeoning corruption scandal. A simple premise deepens into an incisive portrait of a bureaucracy riven with cynicism and a government happy to swallow its most idealistic citizens whole. From the directors, and starring the lead actors, of THE LESSON, which Film Forum opened in 2015.

BULGARIA / GREECE • 2016 • 101 MINS. • IN BULGARIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
FILM MOVEMENT 

Reviews

“A gripping dark comedy. Sharply executed, superbly performed. [A] riveting exploration of human foibles and socio-economic injustice.”
– Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

“Frank Capra meets the Dardenne Brothers. Absorbing. Stirring. Like Tilda Swinton’s fierce lawyer in MICHAEL CLAYTON, Julia’s a complex figure trapped by immoral responsibilities, and [Margita] Gosheva’s performance brilliantly conveys that divided state.”
– Eric Kohn, Indiewire

“Confirms the advanced promise shown in [Valchanov & Grozeva’s] award-winning narrative debut, THE LESSON. Largely working with the same exceptionally talented cast and crew, the duo paints a damning portrait of contemporary Bulgarian society...guided by terrific performances as well as spot-on editing.”
– Jay Weissberg, Variety

“Another stiletto-sharp report on the state of modern Bulgaria from the directors of the equally tense and insightful THE LESSON...has a premise that Frank Capra or Preston Sturges might have loved.”
– Allan Hunter, Screen Daily