Direction: Ivaylo Hristov
Country: Bulgaria
Fear, Ivaylo Hristov’s tension-filled romantic comedy was the official submission of Bulgaria for the Academy Awards in the category of Best International Feature Film. The film has a mock-aggressive style, addressing serious racial discrimination with disconcerting hilarity. The sharp-tongued language and coarse demeanor employed in this stinging satire may shock some viewers, but it serves the purpose of demystification of racial fears for the sake of unity.
The central character is the subversive Svetla (Svetlana Yancheva), an unemployed widowed teacher from a small Bulgarian village near the border who decides to give shelter to Bamba (Michael Flemming), a sympathetic Malian doctor turned refugee on his way to Germany. Having distinct personalities and the language as a barrier, the twosome manage to get along, forming an unusually appealing odd couple determined to be happy. Both villagers and local border officials, headed by the racist commander Bochev (Stoyan Bochev), become furious.
Even the film's chanciest moments sustain an overall racial provocation that is partially dissolved by Hristov’s choice to mock his characters and condemn Bulgaria xenophobic mentality. The director should be proud of the solid script, his knack for storytelling, interesting characters, and the funny dialogue peppered with some memorable translating moments. It’s a wild, darkly comic collision between refugees, ignorant villagers, dysfunctional governmental figures, and debilitated military forces. On top of an arresting black-and-white photography, Fear also boasts commendable performances.
