Directions is a brilliant movie I chanced upon at IFFK. It is a Bulgarian film directed by Stephan Komandarev.
What begins as a seemingly normal neighbourhood brawl develops into a deeper look at the lives of taxi drivers- six of them, to be exact. The realistic, insightful narrative is sprinkled with dry humour and social critique( ranging from violence and globalisation to emigration and economic depression).
The director explores the life of cabbies - how and why they took up the profession, and where it leads them, and emerges with a universal tale of human woes.
Warning - Spoilers Ahead
There is the father who wandered into this line of work to pay off his debts and send his young daughter to school.
There is the young man, a teacher by day, who, despite being brushed off by a passenger, swallows his ego, and saves the latter from committing suicide.
There is the driver who could not care less about his passengers; who openly smokes, listens to loud music on the radio, and offers goods stolen from the cemetery to unwitting travellers. And the man who openly disapproves of this cabbie's slovenly ways ends up inadvertently killing him on the street.
There is the middle-aged woman who confronts the man who ruined her life, years later, when he hires her cab.
There is the aged man who recently lost his son and finds unexpected solace in the company of a stray dog.
And finally, there is the pastor who drives a taxi by night (as his decapitated client asks, "Is this allowed?", to which he humorously replies, "The Bible doesn't forbid it. They didn't have taxis then.")
The development of the story is very smooth and melding of different stories, seamless. Once the indebted father murders his creditor out of desperation, it sets the ball rolling to other cabbies listening to discussions regarding the case on the radio. Thereby, we get a proper glance at what their lives are like, which is not always possible in real life (As one of them says, "Try being a cabbie. You won't believe the trash I find at the end of the day, on top of dealing with idiots everyday.")
We get to see how different people treat cabbies as well. For instance, the grieving elderly man is met with a couple who care about no one but themselves; and afterwards by a group of college-going boys who remind him of his loss, and almost cheat him of his payment.
Here are a few meaningful lines from the final story:
"Do you believe in God?"
"..Where was He when our daughters became prostitutes, and our sons - criminals?...God left this country a long time ago, along with one-third of the population. We chased Him away. That's why we're here. The direction, brother...We've lost it."
This intricately woven tale expertly delves into human nature and will stay with you long after the credits roll in. A must watch, in my opinion.
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0YO6uhjhlk
What begins as a seemingly normal neighbourhood brawl develops into a deeper look at the lives of taxi drivers- six of them, to be exact. The realistic, insightful narrative is sprinkled with dry humour and social critique( ranging from violence and globalisation to emigration and economic depression).
The director explores the life of cabbies - how and why they took up the profession, and where it leads them, and emerges with a universal tale of human woes.
Warning - Spoilers Ahead
There is the father who wandered into this line of work to pay off his debts and send his young daughter to school.
There is the young man, a teacher by day, who, despite being brushed off by a passenger, swallows his ego, and saves the latter from committing suicide.
There is the driver who could not care less about his passengers; who openly smokes, listens to loud music on the radio, and offers goods stolen from the cemetery to unwitting travellers. And the man who openly disapproves of this cabbie's slovenly ways ends up inadvertently killing him on the street.
There is the middle-aged woman who confronts the man who ruined her life, years later, when he hires her cab.
There is the aged man who recently lost his son and finds unexpected solace in the company of a stray dog.
And finally, there is the pastor who drives a taxi by night (as his decapitated client asks, "Is this allowed?", to which he humorously replies, "The Bible doesn't forbid it. They didn't have taxis then.")
The development of the story is very smooth and melding of different stories, seamless. Once the indebted father murders his creditor out of desperation, it sets the ball rolling to other cabbies listening to discussions regarding the case on the radio. Thereby, we get a proper glance at what their lives are like, which is not always possible in real life (As one of them says, "Try being a cabbie. You won't believe the trash I find at the end of the day, on top of dealing with idiots everyday.")
We get to see how different people treat cabbies as well. For instance, the grieving elderly man is met with a couple who care about no one but themselves; and afterwards by a group of college-going boys who remind him of his loss, and almost cheat him of his payment.
Here are a few meaningful lines from the final story:
"Do you believe in God?"
"..Where was He when our daughters became prostitutes, and our sons - criminals?...God left this country a long time ago, along with one-third of the population. We chased Him away. That's why we're here. The direction, brother...We've lost it."
This intricately woven tale expertly delves into human nature and will stay with you long after the credits roll in. A must watch, in my opinion.
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0YO6uhjhlk
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