Filmmaker Tonislav Hristov's fly-on-the-wall documentary about a tiny village on the border of Bulgaria and Turkey, The Good Postman finds in that hamlet a microcosm of the ongoing debate throughout Western Europe and America about how to deal with Syrian refugees. The Bulgarian village of Golyam Dervent is often the first European place that refugees encounter after the hardships of crossing Turkey. The community is divided over what to do about these strangers in need, and that anxiety is reflected in a mayoral election in which Golyam's trusted postman, Ivan, is running against an apparent ne'er-do-well (his name is not revealed until late in the film) who lives with his mother and looks like a burned-out rock star. Neighbors vacillate in their feelings about the Syrians, often swayed by whichever candidate they last heard from. While the results of the election suggest wider political dynamics going on, the film does effectively capture Ivan's decency and the populist provocations of his rival. It also beautifully renders the bucolic, rural character of Golyam Dervent and its surroundings, where villagers traverse grassy hills instead of roads. An interesting film about the local impact of an issue that is causing so much friction in the West, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
The Good Postman
(2017) 80 min. In Bulgarian w/English subtitles. DVD: $19.95. FilmRise (avail. from www.amazon.com). Volume 33, Issue 1
The Good Postman
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