Viktoria (Bulgarian: Виктория) is a 2014 Bulgarian-Romanian drama film written, directed and produced by Maya Vitkova. The film premiered in-competition in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.
On January 26, it premiered at 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film later screened at the 2014 Göteborg International Film Festival.
Plot On 10 November, 1979 - 10 years before the collapse of Communism in Europe, Boryana is determined not to give birth to a child in Communist Bulgaria. The only thing Boryana longs for is to escape to the West. But despite her attempt to protect herself from unwanted pregnancy, her baby survives... Unwanted, Viktoria is born with no umbilical cord to connect her to her mother and thus proclaimed "the baby of the decade". Viktoria becomes a symbol of Communist Bulgaria. While growing up, she dominates her environment and is at subconscious war with her mother - the one who didn't want her. But on 10 November, 1989, when the political situation collapses, turning Viktoria's life upside down, the hardships of the new time bind her and her mother together.
Cast Irmena Chichikova as Boryana Daria Vitkova as Viktoria (9-year-old) Kalina Vitkova as Viktoria (teenager) Mariana Krumova as Dima Dimo Dimov as Ivan Georgi Spasov as Todor Zhivkov Svetoslav Draganov as Sando Simeon Tsolov as Stefcho (9-year-old) Ivo Karamanski as Stefcho (teenager) Katerina Angelova as Baby Viktoria
Reception Critical response Viktoria received mostly positive reviews upon its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Dennis Harvey of Variety said in his review that "“Viktoria’s” first hundred minutes or so offer an arresting mix of satire, surrealism and ambivalently angsty drama, with the helmer in precocious full command of pacing, tone and aesthetics." Boyd van Hoeij in his review for The Hollywood Reporter called it "A striking first film about a young child without a belly button that explores the relationship of Bulgarians with their country, history and families."
Emma Myers of Indiewire graded the film B+ and praised the performances of Chichikova and Kalina Vitkova by saying that "Kalina Vitkova, whose big brown eyes communicate a great deal of pain and longing. But it's Irmena Chichikova as Boryana who steals the screen. With deep set eyes and razor sharp cheek bones that recall Charlotte Rampling in her heyday, she’s not only striking to look at but subtly expressive. Though she puts on a stoic front, her final scene hints at the deep and invisible motivations of her character."
Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result 2014 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Maya Vitkova International Film Festival Rotterdam Tiger Award Göteborg International Film Festival International Debut Award
References
External links
Viktoria at Big World Pictures