Review of Zift (2008) by Julien B — 27 Oct 2009

In this day and age; it takes some balls to release a black & white film with little (if any) special effects of any kind. The thing is, Javor Gardev has balls, big one for that matter.

Zift is a neo-noir (et blanc) film tracing the story of "Moth", having been jailed in Bulgaria's transition's process to communism. The story starts by its end, with a humorously grotesque story of a man taking vengeance over his wife's deception by unloading three tons of crap in her lover's apartment. This parable clearly sets the tone of the movie as a whole. Then comes a succession of scenes, with somewhat of a guideline (thematic if not temporal) that guides the viewer through a vivid criticism -through parofy- of Soviet Realism. To end right where it started.

The film manages, with a budget equivalent to an extras' salary in any Hollywood movie, to impress. The cinematography has its good times, but never disappoints. The script is well written, with excellent monologues from "Moth"; and Domo Alexiev's portrayal of the main character is excellent.

The main issue with the movie is the editing (too short to convey it's message, and too messy -especially for someone who's not necessarily familiar with Bulgarian language/culture) and the score (music when put upfront is good, but the instrumentals during some scenes don't fit with the images shown).

Well, I recommend it to anyone who isn't afraid of indie black and white films; and want to see something about communism with another edge than your typical western European or Russian movie. 4.