bshristov
The film starts with Lev (Moth) in prison for murder. Lel is released from prison but immediately falls into the hands of some uniformed men who want to know the location of a diamond that Moth supposedly stole.The name "Zift" apparently comes from an Arabic word meaning asphalt that was once a popular chewing-gum like substance in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Zift is a love story mixed with murder and betrayal, in all I have to say that Zift is a strong entry into the noir genre.Highly recommended for the fans of black comedy and drama.
sergepesic
" Zift"is a stunning surprise that came from Bulgaria. Black and white noir, dark comedy with a brilliant camera work and lighting. It makes you nostalgic for the old pre-color days, when the directors had to be extra creative, and shadows warmed your heart more than flames ever could. The incredible parody spots wicked sense of humor, especially with the fake Russian songs and surprisingly quite a few homo-erotic images. War and weapons usually get coupled with phallic symbols. Eros and Thanatos in it purest form. It is an immense pleasure to encounter such talented and smart artists, these days of simplicity and proud lack of novelty.Can we have some more, please.
sharkies69
Saw this at the Sydney Film Festival and was a little disappointed. Seemed to be a lot of hype surrounding this. Really liked the black and white photography and had high hopes after a nice opening. Unfortunately the movie lost me in the middle and never quite recovered.I'd have to agree with one of the earlier posts. I think Gardev has definitely borrowed from other films and directors. Apart from that Todorov's screenplay doesn't quite work for me but I would love to read the book (the English translation is released next year). I found the little stories and anecdotes from minor characters to be intrusive and tiresome after a while and I don't know if the voice-over was that effective.Thought the acting was fine and there were some amusing moments but overall I can't work out if this was supposed to be a thriller or black comedy, heist flick, noir potboiler or a bit of all of these.
dangershark7
It was a damn month where everybody in Bulgaria were saying "hey, did you watch Zift?! It's an awesome movie and it's great and it's the best BG movie ever!". Well, at last I decided to go and see it, although I had my hope in the BG cinematography long lost. I entered the ugly theater and took my good place in the middle. And damn it, the trailer says it all - "Pineapple peels and sh*ts". That's the best thing in this movie. A banal screenplay, incredibly bad acting, phrases that make you wanna kick someone's head and again this damn post-communist element. You know, all the Bulgarian movies have it.So better go and watch some stupid low-budget Hollywood movie instead of this crap. At least you could see some better acting and more than 2 colors. Yeah, black & white is banal, especially when it's used without a specific reason. It might be a really nice effect (see "Pi") and it might annoy you so much that you just decide to leave the damn theater half an hour before the predictable end.Again, about the acting. Yes, it's bad. Yes, most of the actors had never played before. And yes, I can see that clearly.And hell yes, I paid $2 for that crap but I wouldn't even give 2 stotinki (around 1 cent) to watch this wannabe-a-good-Bulgarian-movie. Although some Bulgarian pseudo-patriots (this means almost all Bulgarians) might like it.In the end, the good thing. Congratulations to the director - very good and professional job! Unfortunately the good directing is not equal to a good movie.
AD
