Godless (2016)

A nurse traffics the ID cards of demented patients on the black market of identity theft. Driven by easy cash, and an addiction to morphine, she struggles to keep tabs on her emotional void, and a growing fear of punishment.

Director:

Ralitza Petrova

Writer:

Ralitza Petrova

Stars:

Irena Ivanova, Ventzislav Konstantinov, Svezhen Mladenov

28 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Irena Ivanova	...	Gana
Ventzislav Konstantinov	...	Aleko
Svezhen Mladenov	...	The Officer
Ivan Nalbantov	...	Yoan
Dimitar Petkov	...	The Judge
Alexandr Triffonov	...	Pavel

Storyline

In a remote Bulgarian town, Gana looks after the elderly with dementia, while trafficking their ID cards on the black market of identity theft. At home, she provides for her jobless mother, with whom she hardly speaks. Her relationship with her car-mechanic boyfriend is no shelter for love either - with sexual attraction vanished, intimacy is reduced to an addiction to morphine, and sharing silence. Nothing seems to have consequences on Gana's conscience, even the incidental murder of a patient, who threatens to expose her fraudulent dealings. Things start to shake up, when Gana hears the music of Yoan, a new patient, whose ID card she has trafficked. A growing empathy for the old man unlocks the nurse's drugged-up conscience, and she is ready for change. But when Yoan is arrested for fraud, Gana learns that doing 'the right thing' comes at a high price.

---

Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | female protagonist | bulgarian | nurse | thief | 

---

Taglines:

godless

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Op. 40, no. 5 by Pavel Chesnokov 'Don't cast me off'
performed by male choir
'The Orthodox Singers'

User Reviews

Sublime debut feature by an accomplished story teller

This film has clearly divided people - like all good art should, but I am happy to say I am on the side of those who loved it.

This is a gritty tale, no doubt about it. But I found a grim black humour and a core pillar of redemption running throughout this film that I found inspiring.

The casting, of the characters particularly Irena Ivanova, was perfect. Her carefully observed stillness and expression held the narrative perfectly throughout.

The story itself was uncompromising, but I felt it left enough room for hope through redemption. In Godless redemption doesn't mean happily ever after, but perhaps that the world has a way of evening itself out.

10/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Bulgaria Denmark France

Language:

Bulgarian

Release Date:

9 March 2017 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Godless: Bezbog

Filming Locations:

Vratsa, Bulgaria

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,763

Company Credits

Production Co:

Klas Film, Snowglobe Films, Alcatraz Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1