EASTERN PLAYS
Two brothers who have lost all contact are suddenly brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: While Georgi who's recently joined a neo-nazi group participates in the violence, Itso witnesses and rescues the Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement, and Itso wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out from his sad life in Sofia. Only by reuniting the two brothers will be able to assess what they really want from life.
While both brothers are floundering in existential solitude, Itso projects a far deeper sense of being both lost and trapped. Perhaps it is because Christov, an old friend of director Kamen Kalev, was the basis for the script, and many details are taken directly from his life. Kalev’s sensitivity, combined with dialogue as truthful as it is natural, leaves no room for vampiric verisimilitude; while it comes as a shock to discover, in the end credits, that Christov tragically died last year, the entire film is suffused with poignant respect.
(Jay Weissberg)
- Christo Christov - Itso
- Ovanes Torosian - Georgi
- Saadet Isil Aksoy - Isil
- Nikolina Yancheva - Niki
- Hatice Aslan - Isils Mutter
- Erem Atabeyoglu - Isils Vater
- Kamen Kalev
- Julian Atanasov
- Boris Trayanov
- Momchil Bozhkov
- Kamen Kalev
- Stefan Piryov
- Johannes Pinter
- Jean-Paul Wall
- Martin Slavov
Memento Films 6 cité Paradis 75010 Paris, Frankreich T +33 1 53 34 90 20 sales@memento-films.com
