Once There Was a War

Is a war big or small for someone who has lost his life in it? It's a film-trip or, as it's called today, a road movie. The road to the war is a greater ordeal than a battle… In an unprecedented march the forty-thousand strong Bulgarian Army, crossing from the southern to the western frontier of the country, covers the distance in less than two days and two nights with no roads, railway or other means of transport available… and wins the war. But this seemingly chaotic whirl of events will clearly follow the path of a young woman from the grave of her child to the death of her husband. And there will be the Cripple – a boy with his romantic urge to die for his Fatherland dying in the most important battle in life – for human dignity. There are also the bodies of two men clinging to each other in Death’s grip among the reeds in the mud. The war has made them enemies but they are more like bleeding Atlas Telamons with a peaceful sky steady on their shoulders.

Directed by Anri Kulev, Once There Was a War leans on a strong ensemble — Tsvetan Aleksiev, Phillip Avramov, Ben Cross — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2019.