The Boy Who Was a King presents an immensely interesting subject: a 7-year old Bulgarian Prince who becomes King following the sudden death of his father. The family is exiled during WWII and, 50 years later, the boy king returns to Bulgaria to become Prime Minister in a landslide election.
Sadly, this film doesn't teach the audience much beyond that.
Among its primary flaws, the film has no narrator. King Simeon himself, BBC interviewers, and various other eclectic Bulgarians each tell pieces of a tale that together do little to create a cohesive story.
Paounov certainly has a gift for finding unique and interesting characters who, throughout the film, give their opinions on the king and what he means to them (and what he doesn't). These vignettes on their own would have made for fascinating documentary, as some of these characters are worthy of having their own stories told. However, these tales do nothing to elucidate the film's subject, leaving the viewer confused and frustrated as to their purpose. Most are unnecessarily long and in a few cases, the payoff isn't worth the wait.
In all, we learn nothing of the context in which the king returns to his country, his rise to political power, or his time in office. Wikipedia filled in the many interesting blanks and political and economic context that should have been the foundation for this film.
There are hints of strength - an interesting premise and spectacular archival footage of the boy as prince, king, and in exile. But without a voice, a cohesive story and extraneous material, this documentary fails to deliver on its fundamental mission.
It's a shame to know there is something very special in the story that's not been told.
