Fear
Svetla, a strong-willed widow, lives alone in a small Bulgarian village close to the Turkish border. She has recently lost her job as a teacher due to the lack of families with young children. One day, while hunting in a forest, she encounters an African refugee, Bamba, who is trying to reach Germany, and will bring about a dramatic turn in her life. Reluctantly, she offers him hospitality, but day after day, a bond develops as Bamba learns the language and takes part in her daily life. Svetla will make life-changing choices that go against her traditional community creating a revolt among the villagers. Absurd, comic and tragic situations ensue as she breaks barriers of loneliness, close mindedness and fear of the outsider.
Bulgaria's official submission to the 2022 Academy Awards.
"The themes of social and media sensationalization of refugees and immigrants are still topical today and the issues of European racism are rarely touched on in a comedic format. Despite the use of varied racial slurs, racialized violence, and microaggressions by the bushel, Fear is a must-watch drama that belongs in any library collection. EDITOR'S CHOICE." - Video Librarian
Cast
- Svetlana Yancheva
- Michael Flemming
- Kristina Yaneva
- Ivan Savov
DVD Features
Bonus short film:
Desaturated
Directed by Marina Stepanska
Ukraine
Ukrainian with English subtitles
10 minutes
A hilariously colorful satire of life and cinema in which a young woman finds herself caught in an existential as well as aesthetic crisis.
Discs: 1
- "A perfect movie for the moment...Fear” offers both seriocomic balm and finger-wagging just as another major refugee crisis roils the world. [T]his warmly ingratiating piece in cool widescreen monochrome is a keeper, reminiscent of bittersweet fish-out-of-water arthouse hits like “The Band’s Visit”...."
- "A marvelously acerbic offbeat comedy which has its roots firmly embedded in a human drama."
- "Yancheva gives off a strong Frances McDormand vibe — sarcastic, weary and impatient, her brusque manner shrouding a flinty decency. She’s the charismatic moral center of the film...."
- "There is a genuine warmth in the connection between Svetla and Bamba. Scenes in which they talk, at cross purposes and about completely different things, somehow result in a shared and satisfying understanding."
- "Hristov uses humour to give his film broad mainstream appeal. He strikes a careful balance, allowing the absurdity of the situation to shine out...."
- "There is fine grotesque humour and a sense of hard-won humanity in Fear, which focuses on the individual to light up the global. With a premise that won't fall into a Balkan rom-com genre type, the film becomes a moral fable of learning, embracing the unknown. It is finely acted, well-placed in its setting and immensely penetrating in the characteristics of folk small-mindedness."
Gallery
Awards & Recognition
Grand Prize - Best Film
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Best Film
Golden Rose Film Festival
Best Foreign Language Film
Santa Barbara Int'l. Film Festival
Best Film
Trieste Film Festival
MOZAIK Bridging The Borders Award
Palm Springs International Film Festival
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film
Palm Springs International Film Festival
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