A heartwarming comedy about a father-son’s turbulent relationship as they attempt to contact the dead while trying not to kill each other.

Vasil is struggling to come to terms with the unexpected death of his wife Valentina. When a woman claims that Valentina is trying to call her on the cellphone, he is convinced that Valentina is trying to establish contact from the other side. His beliefs are backed up because before his wife died, she had something urgent to say. Watching all this unfold is the son, Pavel, whose relationship with his father is already strained. Pavel doesn’t tell his father the reason why his wife isn’t at the funeral nor does Pavel tell his wife that his mother has passed away. Juggling a minefield of white lies isn’t easy and things get further complicated when Pavel is forced to take a road trip with his father to find the medium who can help get messages from his deceased mother. Each discovery along the Bulgarian countryside opens the door into further absurd scenarios.

THE FATHER, a charming film infused with a lovely mix of satire and farce, took home the top prize at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival and continues the award-winning streak of the Bulgarian filmmaking duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (THE LESSON, GLORY). The father-son relationship in the film, complete with disagreements and tender moments, and overall comedic style also echoes SECRET INGREDIENT (CIFF selection 2018).

Written by Sachin Gandhi