Silent Observers

With the population in decline, a traditional way of life is ending in a remote, rundown Bulgarian village. This poetic and at times tragicomic film follows the last remaining inhabitants from the perspective of several domesticated animals. There’s a great deal of attention given to sound, light and movement: an overflowing bucket, sunlight dancing in rustling foliage, the ticking sound of ants on the move, and a cowbell clanging in the wind.

The filmmakers focus on the sensory perceptions of the animals without attributing thoughts or feelings to them. But the villagers do precisely that. Was the neighbor punishing or protecting her violent alcoholic son when she turned him into a donkey, they wonder, and is that cat possessed by a vampire? The contrast is fascinating between the villagers’ fears and superstitions, and the no-nonsense, even harsh, ways in which they treat the animals.

The slightly experimental music forming the soundtrack is at times complemented by women singing a beautiful traditional song containing both solos and polyphony.