‘Black Money for White Nights’ Review: Bulgarian Tragicomedy Examines Corruption and a Marriage in Crisis
8 reported
A review of the Bulgarian film “Black Money for White Nights,” directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, describes the story of a sixtysomething couple, Gosha and Marina, who engage in small-scale bribery to supplement their incomes. The film premiered in the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary film festival. The couple’s savings, accumulated through illicit payments, are stolen in a travel scam, exposing cracks in their marriage and their place in a system of corruption. The review notes the film is a black comedy that treats its characters with unsentimental compassion. It is the latest in a series of Bulgarian films addressing social inequality and systemic issues.
What’s reported
The film centers on Gosha (Ivan Savov) and Marina (Tanya Shahova), a struggling sixtysomething couple.
Marina works as a maternity nurse and accepts bribes for preferential treatment, sharing the money with colleagues.
Gosha works as a railway conductor and also receives illicit cash bonuses.
The couple saved for a luxury tour to see the White Nights in St. Petersburg, but the booking turns out to be bogus and the travel agency vanishes.
The scam occurs in 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The film premiered in the Crystal Globe competition at Karlovy Vary.
The filmmakers previously won the Crystal Globe for their 2019 film “The Father.”
The film’s cinematographer is Alexander Stanishev, and the editor is Yorgos Mavropsaridis.
Key figures
Gosha (character, played by Ivan Savov)
Marina (character, played by Tanya Shahova)
Kristina Grozeva (co-director)
Petar Valchanov (co-director)
Lucy (character, played by Margita Gosheva)
Alexander Stanishev (cinematographer)
Yorgos Mavropsaridis (editor)
Sources: Variety
