Wonderful character development!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Blistering performances.

The whole world needs more movies like this, with English subtitles, please. I understand this Bulgarian drama, because I'm from Cuba island; my country has been suffering Communist for more than 50 years!, and everybody knows the rest of the story."When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons." ― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol.4: 1944-1947 "Even if a man spends his life staring at shadows, he will still know where the sun is." ― John H.D. Lucy Miami 03.31.15 http://napoleon03.wordpress.com

I bought the film recently and visioned it yesterday. I was deeply impressed, sad and angry at the same time. The unbelievable cruelty of it all. One has not to be Bulgarian to realize all the horror of the situation, to feel the helplessness, sadness and hopelessness of the people attacked. It doesn't remind me of anything, except.. fear. The fear that is being instilled to all of us by ISIS...in Syria. Obviously the system of the people of Allah hasn't changed in centuries.Taking young boys and use them as executors, making little monsters of them. It happens to-day. Cruelty all over, no mercy for anyone who doesn't adhere to their view of religion. The shouts of Allahou Akbar are heard again in our time."L'Histoire se répète" it is obvious. Never has any film been so actual in 2015. The film is grand, magnificent if not so horrible a topic and so prophetic of what I hope may stop some day and never visit any of us. The film is at the same time "History" and "Actuality". Fearfull.

The movie is indeed one of the biggest Bulgarian classics. As they say, if you're Bulgarian, you must have watched it. And if your heart doesn't tremble when you watch it, you're not a Bulgarian.On the other hand, I like very much one quote from one of its resumes: "The film is painted on a large, sweeping canvas, with many characters and subplots, all cleverly woven into a single story. And, surprisingly, this isn't a "vile Turk" story. Director Ludmil Staikov has much more ambitious goals, including an examination of the power of religion and of the destructiveness of violence and fanaticism. Not all of the Christians are good, nor all of the Muslims bad." And I agree with this, the movie is not black and white - neither in real colour, nor in character's colour. Even the "most evil characters" have their inner struggles and their reasons, while even the "nicest characters" have their flaws and weaknesses. Like all human beings...So, the script is great, the acting is great, the music is touching, the scenery is magnificent - no wonder this is one of the very few Bulgarian movies (if not the only one), which have foreign subtitles in its DVD set.P.S. Indeed, the movie is definitely not for minors, not only because of the scenes of violence, but also because they would hardly understand its true meaning.

This seems to be follow up to Kozi rog another bulgarian movie with similar and painfull theme trying to survive 500 years of Turk's tyrany and save bulgarian identity.Since I am half Bulgarian I was deeply moved by this movie because I'm feeling that if there would not be Bulgarians like these in the movie then I would NOT exist.I also felt that actors who played in this amazing picture were not just acting.It is going to be very difficult to watch it for people who like easy going films beacause there is so much sadness and tragedy in it.This one doesn't have happy ending but somehow it gave you some kind of satisfaction on the end I just can't describe why. I am very sad that this movie is not more recognised in the world as it should be.I can not recall any other historical movie which could surpass this one,there is no any way.Beautifull sceneries,great actors,could not be done better.To me it is treasuare of world cinema and I don't understand how it can be ignored by the world.This is another example how hollywood=money rules the world.Must see,highly recomended. I'm lucky I have it on video.