Rounds / V krŭg (plus Q+A) (2019)

Click here to watch a Q+A with director Stephan Komandarev.

Sofia, November 9th, 2019. Night. As the country prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the regime change in Bulgaria, three police patrol cars roam the streets of the city. Apparently unaware of each other, the patrols overlap and intersect, as incidents pile on, adding up to a kind of ‘state of the nation’ snapshot. The second in a trilogy of films (the first, Posoki / Directions, features Sofia’s night-time taxi drivers, the third will feature its ambulance crews) by one of Bulgaria’s most celebrated filmmakers, Rounds’ committed performances and convincing dialogue make the stories of survival and failure, of lives saved and of others lost, all feel true-to-life. Shot through with droll humour (a body lying beside some railway tracks becomes a running joke), this is a hugely entertaining and illuminating watch.

Winner of five international film festival awards, including the Cineuropa Award and Best Actress Award (Irini Jambonas) at the 2019 Sarajevo Film Festival.

“Ambitious. Engrossing. A palpable hit with audiences” - Variety

“Surprisingly close to quintessential … one stacked crowdpleaser” - Variety

YourScreen audience comments:

“I was slightly gritting my teeth during the opening shots but then became immersed. I thought it was very good - emotionally surprising - I enjoyed it; it’s a film that will stick in my memory.”

“We all loved this one. Very quirky, a great mix of black comedy and tragedy whilst containing a lot of political insight and comment. Loved the way that the characters and plots intertwined.”

“A powerful and emotionally-charged tragicomedy full of heart-breaking scenes, clever dialogue, and dollops of comic relief set against a political background. Vivid imagery will stay with me.”

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