Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)
Avé (2011)
Genre: Drama
Director: Konstantin Bojanov
Starring: Anjela Nedyalkova, Ovanes Torosyan
Language: Bulgarian, German, English
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 7.5
Summary:
Hitchhiking his way from Sofia to Ruse, Kamen meets Avé, a 17-year-old runaway. With every ride they hitch, Avé invents new identities for them, and her compulsive lies get Kamen deeper and deeper into trouble.
Avé is the debut feature film from Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov, co-written with Arnold Barkus. It premiered in the International Critic's Week section of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

It's a film that at first glance offers nothing too remarkable. A typical road film that we've seen the likes of any number of times before. There's Kamen (Ovanes Torosyan), a quiet and withdrawn university art student, who meets title character Avé (Anjela Nedyalkova), a mysterious streetwise runaway, while hitchhiking from Sofia, the capital, to Ruse, a small town in the north of Bulgaria near the Romanian border. You know the story, despite their differences in personality, they start forming a bond along the way and eventually fall in love.

So it's surprising that Bojanov, as a first time director, is able to create such an engaging film from a tired premise. But he gets fantastic performances out of the two young actors. Their chemistry is fantastic, and their gradually evolving relationship is handled with delicate writing that never goes down the sentimental path. These are simple characters and a simple plot but it's always believable and even though it never really strays from the road movie template it never feels like Bojanov is simply following a formula.

Torosyan, who had a substantial role in the recent Bulgarian film Eastern Plays (2009), carries a brooding and mournful demeanor as Kamen. He's all business, which we are not told what, only that early on he gets a message of bad news, and soon we see him on the side of the road trying to thumb a ride. Glum and to the point, he's not the least bit interested in strangers or small talk. Making him instantly wary of the cheery and outgoing Avé who walks up as he's trying to stop a car.

Nedyalkova, who was also briefly in that film, in a very small walk-on part, appears here for the first time in a lead role and she is an absolutely glowing presence. Playing her character with an easy natural charm that suggests she has a bright future as an actress, if she wants it. Avé is a free spirited girl with the knack for telling just the right story to get on the good side of whoever she meets, a compulsive but not malicious liar. It's an interesting difference between her and Kamen, who is uncomfortable with her lies even though lying seems to work much better than the truth to get them closer to their destination.

Also making a small but noticeable final appearance in this film is German actor Bruno S., the unlikely but memorable star of two Werner Herzog films, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) and Stroszek (1977), who passed away not long after filming.

Overall this is a strong effort from a young group of talent from a country not known for its cinema. Time will tell if Bulgaria will follow the success of it's neighbor Romania and fully emerge on the international scene, but so far it looks to be a promising start.
Bonjour Tristesse
Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

Avé (2011)

6 comments:

FrontRoomCinema said...

This sounds cool!! I like the tone of the images too. Thanks BT

d_4 said...

It looks like it'll be enjoyable. Not a master piece but a nice watch.

Mettel Ray said...

Oh oh.. the summary got me hooked. I'm skipping rest of the review and looking for an opportunity to watch this!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yep a cool little film. I think may have a chance of being sent to the Oscars.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

No nothing groundbreaking but pleasant enough to recommend.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Cool. Come back and let me know your thoughts if you do get the chance to see it.

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