directed by Stephan Komandarev, drama, 103 min, eng subtitles, 16+
written by Stephan Komandarev, Simeon Ventsislavov
with Ivan Barnev, Georgi Kadurin, Borisleva Stratieva, Anna Komandareva
Premiered in Cannes, Directions is the fifth feature film of Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev, a film that serves up a slice of sharp social criticism. At a meeting with his banker, a small business owner, who drives a cab to make ends meet, discovers how much of a bribe he has to pay to get his loan doubled. The ethics board that reviewed his complaint about extortion now wants its share of the action. At his wit’s end, he shoots the banker and then himself. The incident sparks a national radio debate on how despair has taken over society. Meanwhile, five taxi drivers and their passengers travel through the night, each hoping to find a brighter path forward. Directions is a road movie through the dystopia of present day Bulgaria, a country that (as one of the protagonists points out) remains optimistic mainly because all the realists and pessimists have left.
Awards:
Bulgarian National FF 2017 (Honourable mention of the Jury)
With the support of 