The Art Of Falling / Изкуството да падаш
Bulgaria 2022
Directed by Orlin Milchev, drama, coming of age, 108 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Neda Filcheva, Marin Damianov
With Elena Zamyarkova, Aleksandra Sarchadjieva, Ivaylo Hristov, Ivan Barnev, Valery Yordanov, Dimitar Nikolov
Borislava, an introverted and sensitive 17-year-old teenager, grows up in the gloomy suburbs of Sofia, with an absent-father, her alcoholic and bipolar mother, and her caring grandfather who seems determined to protect his girls at all costs. Borislava’s reserved behaviour makes her easy prey for aggressive boys and she almost gets raped at school, which leaves her traumatised. In order to help her gain self-confidence, her grandfather signs her up for judo classes. There she discovers a completely new universe in which challenges are met head-on. On her journey to herself, Borislava encounters enemies but also a soul mate, a grumpy yet motivating trainer who teaches her the value of discipline, and of course, true love.
Working through trauma and growing up through self-challenges are central motifs in this feature debut by Bulgarian director Orlin Milchev. Through this coming-of-age story, he shares a valuable message – “in real life, just like in judo, knowing how to fall is important”.
Awards
Golden Rose FF 2022 (Best First Feature)