IRINA

Irina has a sweet son, but otherwise, it is not easy for her: they are poor, her husband is unfaithful, and the boss is deceitful. Irina loses her job because she is not accommodating enough. When her husband is then killed in an accident while stealing coal, she is completely at her wit’s end. A "job advertisement" as a surrogate mother comes just at the right time. Worlds collide as the well-off parents get to know the taciturn and unpredictable woman from the country who is supposed to carry "their" child. While life in Sofia apparently works, the people in Irina's village are left to their own devices.

The film accompanies Irina for over a year as played by Martina Apostolova with a rawness and authenticity. In long shots, the camera finds equivalents for the conflicts, with majestic and brutal motorway bridges here, and smooth capital city panoramas there. Despite the delicate subject, IRINA focuses less on moral conflicts and more on concrete human questions. RP