An outstandingly well-told story of an event lasting only a nighttime. The hero of the event is not the person playing the presumed Hemingway but the stationmaster's daughter - a modest, highly cultivated, educated and indeed wise person, liberated in most meanings of the word - trapped into a small provincial town in the aftermath of the Great War (with Bulgaria on the losing side). Impressive acting by both the beautiful Pletnyova and Chanev (playing the father/stationmaster), masterful direction by Ovcharov. Finally if I were a critic asked for which aspect should this film get an award - I would hesitatingly say for the cinematography: The story takes place in the span of a single night in a small railway station without electricity. The cinematographer managed to turn that from a potentially unnerving experience (for a whole hour and a half) to the conveyance of a magical and nearly nostalgic atmosphere. The only reason for my hesitation is that there were so many other good aspects too. I saw this film at the Thessaloniki (Greece) film festival and, as far as I know, it collected no awards at all. I cannot exclude that it may be my own judgement which is blunted - but I do so wish it were distributed so that I can see it again; I suspect it is one of those films in which you discover something each time you see it.
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