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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good start, but then it gets ruined

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

As soon as the movie meets the audience (especially a particular group of generations) it feels like classics. Inspired by auto-biog novel of Ilija Trojanov published in 1996 and directed in 2008 by Stephan Komandarev (coevals born in the middle of Communist era in Sofia, Bulgaria) this move is devoted to the people that were rendered "enemies of the nation" in their own country. Bai Dan is a real Bulgarian (it is worth noting that the role is played by the Serbian, Miki Manojlovic - Underground (1995)) which everyone will agree had met at least once in his life. He is a dice master who knows how to deal with the chances in life, he is brave, he is wild and yet he is naturally wise and humble Christian. Now it is time to play he's most important game - he have to help his grandson to find his lost soul. The personage's character is really admirable and like everything else in the move is marked by the natural charisma of the intelligent masterpiece. There are a lot of background symbols throughout the script and as the movie answers a lot, it inevitably opens the Pandora's box defining the post-communist societies in Eastern Europe. Political issues are presented in a skillful adjunct with the personal drama and doesn't bother with details and references more than necessary while standing in the heat zone. Perfect camera, astonishing sight-seeings - this move is a real advertisement and an open invitation for the artists and the common EU travelers.

A young man who has lost his memories and parents in a car accident is guided by his charismatic grandfather to regain his memories by travelling around Europe, retracing the path the young man and his parents once took when they had illegally migrated from Bulgaria to Germany for a new life. This is the premise of this movie.This movie was the Bulgaria's official entry into Academy Awards 2009 and it was also shown in many film festivals winning many awards.I simply loved this movie. With a wonderful and simple story this movie captivates the viewer with the brilliant acting by Miki Mnojlovic and his inducing dialogues. Stephen Komandarev is a wonderful director who knows how to visualize a story. But the story rises above all these and makes the movie a definite must watch.The movie tells the story of the journey of Bai Dan and his Grandson Alex in search of the real self of the latter. In a parallel story line we witness the plight of the young Alex and his parents for a new life from Bulgaria to Germany. Both the stories go well simultaneously and do not make the viewer bored. This is because of an intelligent and well written screenplay.I really liked the characterization of Bai Dan, an experienced man whose life is all about the game Backgammon and even his dialogues relate around the game. He once says to his grandson "life is like the dice in our hand, fate is determined by the skill and luck of the player." He has a simple solution to all problems. He never pushes Alex to revoke his old self but with his own innovative techniques he tries to get back his old Alex. He realizes that sitting idly in the hospital can never make Alex any better and he takes him on a cross country trip across Europe and playing Backgammon occasionally.But this is more than a tale of two people on the road to self-realism. The movie explores into the political situation of Bulgaria during the 1980s. Alex' father, Vasko, gets into trouble with a local communist who wants him to spy on Bai Dan, his father-in-law. He refuses and worrying about the consequences he decides to leave Bulgaria and flee to Germany with his wife and son. We get to see the troubles that they face during their migration and the problems they and the other immigrants from different countries face in the refugee camp.Backgammon had been given much importance throughout the movie. The movie starts with backgammon and ends with backgammon. Bai Dan's life revolves around backgammon. In Vasko's life also backgammon plays an important part. The game plays also an important role in bringing Alex back into his original life.The movie talks about the hopes of a small family and their dreams of having a better life somewhere. It tells the forgotten memories, dreams and life of a young man who learns more things when he regains his memories. It tells about a grandfather with full of love for his grandson. It tells how a small game like backgammon can stir the life of people.I strongly recommend this movie to everyone for the brilliant acting of Mr. Manojlovic, an interesting story, good direction. At the end, everyone wishes for a grandfather like Bai Dan and that's the success of this movie.~ dillitalkies.blogspot.com ~

We start with a cliché and we end with a cliché. And guess whats in the middle? The world is cliché and boredom lurks around the corner - this pretty much sums up what this film is all about. About the cinematography.... like in Bulgarian bank loans commercials is being gentle with it. You just don't put every trick in the book & this direction and hope you will get away with it. But it actually works, this stupid little movie is praised a lot, mainly from the jurors at festivals and why is that I will never understand. Maybe they look at a movie differently then the common people. Cause if you seek fake drama and suffering from the characters and the inevitable happy end this film is full of it. But it has nothing else. The rare funny moments are clichés again, loads of Kusturica lurks around the frames, the acting of most of the people is poor but this is a general problem with Bulgarian movies, cause our so called film school just don't have the ground and people to teach the kids in cinema anymore, and they end up fake on the screen cause there are differences between theater and cinema acting and the teachers never seem to got that right. And also just a few movies are made in Bulgaria and they are all done with the same actors, crew, plots and always involve love, drama and suffering. Most of the Bulgarian movies look, sound and feel like this movie which is just shame and waste of money. And If this movie gets nominated for Oscar, I will never consider this thing a reward anymore.

I just saw "Eastern plays" (also Bulgarian movie) and was really disappointed and gave it really bad comment. But, this movie is even worse. It is just terrible copy of some Kusturica works, mixed with completely naive direction. I don't know if this director ever saw any movie that is done in 21st century. It is full of big words, fake artism and - well, maybe I am stupid, but this movie is about nothing. Movie is so pretentious, making audience burst into laughter aloud. Almost all the shots, dialogue, scenes were seen at least billion times in other, better movies. I can not believe somebody takes this movie serious. I saw the list of awards this movie received - and I just don't know what the other movies competing with this one were like. Anyway, I don't want to be a bore - skip this movie, you will save some money and more important, some time.