Cvetat na hameleona

This darkly comic evocation of communist absurdities circa 1989 follows the fortunes of an amoral, almost Tom Ripley-esque opportunist and his initially state-decreed, later self-mandated adventures in surveillance. Based on scriptwriter Vladislav Todorov’s novel Zincograph, referenced within the film as a key underground text, this debut feature from Bulgarian helmer Emil Christov creates an alternate reality that juxtaposes Kafkaesque bureaucratic illogic with the murderous whimsy of an off-the-wall freelancer. Composed as a series of surreal shocks, it rapidly changes tones alongside its fearlessly imitative hero. Batka (Ruscen Vidinliev) is recruited by the secret police to gather intel on a weirdo group of “new thinkers,” where counterintuitive feminism and vaginal speculums hold sway. But Batka’s imagination soars far beyond the confines of his role. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)