TOUCHED BY GOD



Bulgaria-France, 2001, 118 min, color

Kesten is a picturesque village on the border between Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. The French sociologist, Francois Deny, arrives to study the risks of ethnic conflict in this part of the Balkans. He discovers that only 100 kilometres from Kosovo, there are Muslims and Christians free to live in peace as they have done for centuries. But more interesting for this western visitor are his encounters with the local villagers: Vladimir who occupies all the council posts from mayor to postman - a poet who poems have never been published and who longs to see Roberto Rosselini's film "Europe '51" at least once, and the smuggler who tries to do everything he can to help his mentally retarded brother. This world is as charming as it is absurd. Anything can happen here, even wine can flow from the taps.

The screenplay has gathered together many of the characters and events from the works of Stanislav Stratiev. The satirical pen of the author is seen at its best here. The story is both sad and funny - it includes interwoven stories of the Islamisation of the Bulgarians by the Turkish conquerors to the christening of the Turks and Muslims by the Bulgarians in more recent history.

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