Wagner (1998) User Reviews

a great movie in terms of style, humor and analysis

[ruben-heim · 28 November 2002]

Definitely, a great movie. shot in black and white, it is an artful picture with lots of freakish characters. the female worker Elena has been waiting for years to move in a flat provided by the state. While searching for bread, she meets those strange people, having encounters of the ludicrous kind. "Wagner" is an absurd farce on the lives of the lower class in totalitarian states.

Highly recommended for its sense of humor and social analysis.

Kafka-esque, Soviet Unrealism

[fecund-2 · 10/10 · 13 July 2002]

In a worker's dystopia, Elena's dream of a new apartment comes true after a ten year wait. Though it isn't all she'd hoped for...

The bureaucratic nightmares of the Eastern bloc are hilariously parodied, and Elena's job operating a hydrolic press named "Wagner"- not knowing of the composer- is an appropriate ribbing of Soviet realism.

Knowing this film's history makes it more impressive. It was the first full-length feature film made in Bulgaria in three years, due to the economic shambles of the country at the time. The quality of the film stock varies, but it's fortunate that the film was made at all.

Other trivia- The female lead, Ernestina Chinova, is married to the director/writer and starred in a Bulgarian television soap opera. The spoken dialogue is stronger and more colorful than the translated English subtitles... this is according to comments the director made at a San Francisco screening.

It's special

[mmegens · 10/10 · 8 March 2001]

A great film - there is so much to see! It would be nice to watch it a second time.

The bizarre developments reminded me of films by Peter Greenaway or Federico Fellini, or perhaps Emir Kusturica. If you like those, this is one for you.