The World Is Big and Salvations Lurks Around the Corner (Stephan Komandarev, 2008): Bulgaria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary

Reviewed by Khristine Biver.  Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival 2010.

The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner broke into the festival circuit and has won more than 20 awards, and it truly catapults Bulgaria into the world of cinematic excellence.  This film is visually stunning in its scenic outdoor shots coupled with its use of Super16-35MM color film.  Film stock gives the picture texture and color quality unmatched by any digital or HD camera.  The varying yellow and blue color tones do a nice job of distinguishing between past and present within the film’s storyline.  Yellow tone brings the viewer back into the 1980s era as the tone matches so authentically to photographs of that time.

The World, directed by Stephan Komandarev, begins in the 1980s Bulgaria.  It follows the life of Alexander ‘Sashko’ Georgiev (Carlo Ljubek). The story goes back and forth, from past to present, unfolding the plot masterfully and divulging motives of characters well.

Sashko’s father (Hristo Mutafchiev) finds himself having to move his family away from a blackmailing communist boss.  He takes Sashko and his mother away from their family in hopes to get to Germany.  Many years later, a car accident takes the lives of his parents and leaves Sashko with amnesia. His grandfather, Bai Dan (Miki Manojlović), is the sole source of bringing him back to life. Bai Dan uses the metaphorical peaks in the game of backgammon and a cross Europe tandem bicycle journey to help remind him of the life he once had.

Miki Manojlović is more than impressive in his character as a loving and vigorous grandfather.  Clearly, I am not the only one that feels this way, his performance as best actor has earned him at least four various film festival awards.  In scenes Sashko and Bai Dan biking along the mountains and countryside, Bai Dan’s face alone shows the love he has and devotion to getting his grandson’s memory and life back.   This scene is just one of many sensational bits of the film. Manojlović does not stand alone, Carlo Lujubek’s and Hristo Mutafchiev also give award worthy performances.

Some of the most affected scenes are those in which Sashko and his family are restricted in an Italian refugee camp before they can reach Germany.  There are engaging detailed scenes, which give the universal trauma of immigration an accurate, heartbreaking human face.  This camp is also a thread that ties the past to present, aiding Sashko’s recovery in remembering.

The World deserves to have an extensive audience that spans the globe.  Many generations, men and women alike will take pleasure in what The World has to offer.  Although it fell out of the rankings between eight other films in contention for the Oscar nomination, this film is going to continue to grow in popularity.