The Father (Bulgarian: Бащата) is a 2019 Bulgarian-Greek comedy-drama film directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov. The film premiered at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it won the Crystal Globe award for best film. It was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[1]
| The Father | |
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.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Krum Rogriguez |
| Edited by | Petar Valchanov |
| Music by | Hristo Namliev |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Countries | Bulgaria Greece |
| Language | Bulgarian |
Plot
editVasil has just lost his long-time partner in life, his wife Valentina. His son, advertising photographer Pavel, who has driven out to his childhood hometown from the city where he works, arrives late to her funeral. Sidling apologetically to the graveside through the thicket of more respectful mourners, he joins his stiffly resentful father Vasil by the open casket. And then his phone, set to a frog-ribbit ringtone, goes off in his pocket. When a woman at the funeral proclaims that the dead woman called her cell phone, Vasil seeks out the help of a well-known psychic in order to contact his wife.
With the very best of intentions, Pavel has lied to everybody: to Vasil about the reason for his wife's absence from the funeral; to his wife, whom he only speaks to on the phone, about where he is and why; and to his assistant at work who is running down the clock on an advertising job with a tricky client. The evasions and falsehoods snow down thicker when Vasil’s unexpected interest in the gimcrackery of a local guru/charlatan, who claims to be able to commune with the dead, means that Pavel has to delay his return. Pavel tries to bring him to his senses, but Vasil stubbornly insists on doing things his own way. Eventually Pavel is trapped in a blizzard of white lies.
Cast
edit- Ivan Barnev as Pavel
- Ivan Savov as Vasil
- Tanya Shahova as Lyubka
- Hristofor Nedkov as Doctor
- Margita Gosheva as Kalina
- Ivanka Bratoeva as Valentina
- Maria Bakalova as young Valentina
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[2]
Jessica Kiang for Variety noted that the film "occupies a lighter, gentler register" than Grozeva and Valchanov's previous works and called it their "most pleasantly accessible film to date".[3] Writing for Screen Daily, Demetrios Matheou found The Father to be "a supremely well-honed comedy, segueing between farce and satire".[4] Anna Smith of Deadline Hollywood praised the film's comedic timing, but critiqued the lack of presence of its female characters.[1] The Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Dalton described the film as a "humane, compassionate, character-driven delight".[5]
Accolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | 6 July 2019 | Crystal Globe | The Father | Won | [6] |
| El Gouna Film Festival | 27 September 2019 | Feature Narrative Competition | The Father | Nominated | [7] |
| Tirana International Film Festival | 3 October 2019 | Best Feature Film | The Father | Won | [8] |
| Golden Rose Film Festival | 4 October 2019 | Best Film | The Father | Won | [9] |
| Best Screenplay | Kristina Grozeva, Decho Taralezhkov, Petar Valchanov | Won | |||
| Danny Lerner Award | The Father | Won | |||
| Best Actor Award | Ivan Barnev, Ivan Savov | Won | |||
| Haifa International Film Festival | 21 October 2019 | Carmel International Competition | The Father | Nominated | [10] |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 26 October 2019 | Golden Spike | The Father | Nominated | [11] |
| Minsk International Film Festival | 8 November 2019 | Best Film | The Father | Nominated | [12] |
| Trieste Film Festival | 21 January 2020 | Best Feature Film | The Father | Won | [13] |
| Sofia Film Fest | 31 March 2020 | Balkan Competition | The Father | Nominated | [14] |
| Cleveland International Film Festival | 5 April 2020 | George Gund III Competition | The Father | Nominated | [15] |
| Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro | 29 November 2021 | Best International Film | The Father | Nominated | [16] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Smith, Anna (2 February 2021). "Int'l Critics Line: Anna Smith On Bulgaria's Oscar Entry 'The Father'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "The Father (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Kiang, Jessica (5 July 2019). "Film Review: 'The Father'". Variety.
- ^ Matheou, Demetrios (5 July 2019). "'The Father': Karlovy Vary Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (10 July 2019). "'The Father' ('Bashtata'): Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Tizard, Will (6 July 2019). "Bulgarian-Greek Road Comedy 'The Father' Wins at Karlovy Vary". Variety.
- ^ "The Father (2019)". El Gouna Film Festival. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Petkovic, Vladan (3 October 2019). ""The Father" triumphs at Tirana". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Jeleva, Pavlina (7 October 2019). "FNE at Golden Rose FF 2019: The Father Wins Five Awards in Varna". Film New Europe. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "The Father | Bashtata". Haifa International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ de Luna, Alvaro (26 October 2019). "SEMINCI 2019: el palmarés y las mejores películas de la 64ª edición". Espinof (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Father". Minsk International Film Festival Listapad. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ De Marco, Camillo (21 January 2020). "The Father named Best Feature Film in Trieste". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Jeleva, Pavlina (9 March 2020). "Sofia Film Festival 2020 Announces Lineup". Film New Europe. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "CIFF44 Announces Feature Film Juried Competitions". Cleveland International Film Festival. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Reynaud, Nayara (29 November 2021). "Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro 2021 | Veja os vencedores e a lista completa dos finalistas". Nervos. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
External links
edit- The Father at IMDb