Neli's dreams have come to fruition; she has left eastern Europe behind and found her Prince Charming. The young Bulgarian lives in New York, happily engaged to the charming and reliable yuppie Scott, from Manhattan. All the while she suffers from homesickness however and yearns to fly home once again before the wedding in order to see her grandmother. Back home in Sofia she encounters her erstwhile friends, bohemians and failures alike, who make up the local subculture; together they go to concerts, nightclubs and strip bars. She is reminded of how it feels to be at home, forgets America and gets involved in a wild romance with her ex-boyfriend Valeri, a bad-tempered and self-destructive drunkard and poet. In a moment's reflection on the long nights spent partying, empty bottles and extended getaways to the countryside Neli notices that the unexpected fervour has absorbed her to such an extent that she has forgotten all about America, the country of her dreams. Back in New York Scott has long grown anxious however and therefore decides to pay an unexpected visit to Sofia. The contrasting worlds that make up Neli's existence, both her tempestuous youth and steady future, appear destined to collide. The director portrays Neli's summer and impassioned affair with a quick tempo and bright light to the accompaniment of evocative rock music. Her début VJARA, LUBOV I WHISKY tells of dreams and disillusionment, movement and stagnation, intoxication and love in contemporary Bulgaria.
DCP | Farbe / colour
Kristina Nikolova, Paul Dalio
Alexander Stanishev
Valentin Kirilov
Sabina Hristova
Lepra Delux
Yavor Baharov, Lidia Indjova, John Keabler, Ana Stojanovska, Valeri Yordanov
Magic Shop
Georgi Nikolov
action.nikolov@gmail.com
Kristina Nikolova - born in Bulgaria. Left for the US at the age of seventeen in order to study economics, where she switched her attentions to film after having been suitably impressed by an experimental film about a paper aeroplane. Her films, produced in both Los Angeles and her native country, have been screened at various international film festivals.
CIGANSKO LIATO (2000, doc, short)
PLIUS MINUS (2007, short)
SEBASTIAN'S LAST DAY (2007, short)
FATHER IVAN'S DOORS (2008, short)
ANGEL JELLYFISH (2008, short)
TAPEWORMS (2010, short)