Blaga’s Lessons (2023) is a Bulgarian drama directed by Stephan Komandarev, with the lead character played by Eli Skorcheva. The film depicts the life of Blaga, a pensioner who once worked as a teacher and lost her life savings in a scam, struggles with moral and ethical dilemmas as she fights to survive in a reprehensible society that does not care for her. The film, characterized by stark realism and significant impressions, founding devastations of poverty and corruption and other awful things but also fighting in blueness of human nature.
Plot Summary
An honorable elderly widow who has devoted her life to serving others, Blaga’s world is forever changed when her life savings are stolen through a vicious phone scam. Without any savings and going through a harsh and harsh bureaucracy Blaga finds herself in a very tight spot. In the pursuit of justice, she ends up getting involved in the bad side of society, indulging in petty crimes, which she would have otherwise disapproved of.
The more Blaga finds it difficult to pay her bills, the more she finds herself in wretched situations which call into question her ethics. Every decision she takes is laced with the burden of losing her self-respect and that respectful profession of being a teacher. Blaga’s story is that of perseverance in a society that hardly has any pity for the weakest members leaving the audience even more determined after watching her odyssey.
Themes
In Blaga’s Lessons, themes of dignity, survival, and morality have been presented concerning the challenges of people who are in need. The film provokes a reflection on the extent to which individuals can be required to forfeit their ethics in order to simply cope and whether ethics can possibly exist within such a bent system. It touches also the themes of social detachment which older adults suffer from as well as the failures of the society’s institutions that should be looking after the most at risk, leaving it’s audience wondering about the consequences of financial abuse and the decay of social order which many times do not get noticed.
Performances
Eli Skorcheva’s depiction of Blaga has received numerous positive criticisms. She infuses dignity, vulnerability and strength in the character which shows Blaga’s inner conflict as she goes through choices that upend her core values. Skorcheva’s performance brings an extraordinary touch to when Blaga portrays her progression and therefore takes the viewers on a more intimate experience.
Cinematography and atmosphere
The imagery used in the film is rather harsh and authentic aiming to depict the starkness of Blaga’s reality. As a strategy to enhance Blaga’s emotional and moral detachment, director Stephan Komandarev combines dull colors and extreme close-ups for the audience to feel her growing despair and helplessness. The film is steady in its tenets and so the prospects of the conflicts in Blaga, in this case, the internal and the external make the issues at hand to be immediate and urgent.
Reception
Blaga’s Lessons was nominated for and won awards at several international film festivals due to what can be termed as a bold exposé of social ills with a sufficiently developed central character. It has been noted that the film does an excellent job of conveying strong themes through a storyline presented without resorting to sensationalism, but nonetheless remains highly graphic. And Eli Skorcheva in this particular role has once again convinced critics of her exceptional dramatic talent.
Overall Impressions Blaga’s Lessons is an impressive and a socially relevant film which seeks to define the lives of people whom the society generally forgets about. It addresses the female experiences in Ukraine in times of war through the life of a single woman, and through the life of one woman’s ego and moral conflict modelling integrity, justice and existence. The film forces the audience to consider Blaga’s decisions, evoking a strong emotional response and drawing attention to the more realistic aspects of poverty and despised existence. Suggested Audience This film will suit people who are interested in studies that move beyond the surface focusing on the intricacies of any given theme, such as moral ones. Such lovers of European films and creations addressing distinct social problems as, for instance, A Man Called Ove or The Florida Project, will find Blaga’s Lessons both challenging and stimulating. The audience is people who like effective emotional performance coupled with social engagement.
