The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner 2008
7.9 / 10
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
The story of Alex, who, with the help of his charismatic grandfather, embarks on a journey in search of his real self.
The story of Alex, who, with the help of his charismatic grandfather, embarks on a journey in search of his real self.
Videos & Photos
All 0 Videos & 5 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Bai Dan
... Alex 'Sashko' Georgiev
... Vasil 'Vasko' Georgiev
... Yana Georgieva
... Baba Sladka
... State Security Agent
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by CRCulver
This 2008 film by Stefan Komandarev, a loose adaptation of a novel by Ilija Trojanow, is both a heartwarming family tale and a biting critique of Communist-era Bulgaria. Alexander "Sashko" Georgiev (Carlo Ljubek), who was born in Bulgaria and came to Germany as a child, is the sole survivor of a car crash that kills his parents. Due to the trauma, he initially cannot recall anything of his former life. His grandfather, Bai Dan (Miki Manojlović), visits from Bulgaria and, with the help of some tough love, tries to get him out of his funk and reawaken his memories. Bai Dan is a larger-than-life character, one of those wild, freespirited guys who somehow managed to survive here and there in Eastern Europe in spite of the greyness of society and the endless hassles by the authorities. Bai Dan is also an obsessive backgammon player who believes the game very directly relates to our lives. As Bai Dan and Sashko set off east from Germany, on a tandem bicycle back towards the old family home in Bulgaria, Sashko starts to remember, and the audience discovers in flashbacks the dramatic events that led his family to flee Bulgaria under Communism. This is an enjoyable little film. The political subtext adds some depth to the film and its scenes of a refugee camp and the frustrated aspirations of ordinary, hardworking people are especially relevant as I write this review. But that political touch is never heavy-handed, and what will strike most viewers is the common humanity of this family that lovingly stayed together through thick and thin. A remarkable thing is that neither of the main actors are themselves Bulgarians. Miki Manojlović has been a mainstay of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema for decades (Western audiences are most likely to know him from Kusturica's Underground), but he learned Bulgarian well enough to pass as one of them. Similarly, Carlo Ljubek was born in Germany to Croatian immigrants. In spite of being worthwhile on one viewing, it is hard to rate this film more than average due to some peculiar aspects of the story. A romantic interest is written in, but she comes too late and Bai Dan's motivations in pushing Sashko to pursue her just baffle. The characters' actions were strange enough that I started to wonder if there was originally more material here, but Komandarev had to cut it out to achieve his 145-minute running time. Still, worth a try for anyone open to Central and Eastern European cinema, and Bai Dan is certainly the grandfather everyone wishes they had.
Genres:
Release Date:
Mar 14, 2008 (Bulgaria,Germany,Hungary,Serbia,Slovenia)
Run Time:
1hr 45`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
Bulgarian
Production Countries:
Bulgaria,Germany,Hungary,Serbia,Slovenia
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner - The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
This 2008 film by Stefan Komandarev, a loose adaptation of a novel by Ilija Trojanow, is both a heartwarming family tale and a biting critique of Communist-era Bulgaria. Alexander "Sashko" Georgiev (Carlo Ljubek), who was born in Bulgaria and came to Germany as a child, is the sole survivor of a car crash that kills his parents. Due to the trauma, he initially cannot recall anything of his former life. His grandfather, Bai Dan (Miki Manojlović), visits from Bulgaria and, with the help of some tough love, tries to get him out of his funk and reawaken his memories. Bai Dan is a larger-than-life character, one of those wild, freespirited guys who somehow managed to survive here and there in Eastern Europe in spite of the greyness of society and the endless hassles by the authorities. Bai Dan is also an obsessive backgammon player who believes the game very directly relates to our lives. As Bai Dan and Sashko set off east from Germany, on a tandem bicycle back towards the old family home in Bulgaria, Sashko starts to remember, and the audience discovers in flashbacks the dramatic events that led his family to flee Bulgaria under Communism. This is an enjoyable little film. The political subtext adds some depth to the film and its scenes of a refugee camp and the frustrated aspirations of ordinary, hardworking people are especially relevant as I write this review. But that political touch is never heavy-handed, and what will strike most viewers is the common humanity of this family that lovingly stayed together through thick and thin. A remarkable thing is that neither of the main actors are themselves Bulgarians. Miki Manojlović has been a mainstay of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema for decades (Western audiences are most likely to know him from Kusturica's Underground), but he learned Bulgarian well enough to pass as one of them. Similarly, Carlo Ljubek was born in Germany to Croatian immigrants. In spite of being worthwhile on one viewing, it is hard to rate this film more than average due to some peculiar aspects of the story. A romantic interest is written in, but she comes too late and Bai Dan's motivations in pushing Sashko to pursue her just baffle. The characters' actions were strange enough that I started to wonder if there was originally more material here, but Komandarev had to cut it out to achieve his 145-minute running time. Still, worth a try for anyone open to Central and Eastern European cinema, and Bai Dan is certainly the grandfather everyone wishes they had.
Cast & Crew of
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner - The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
Directors & Credit Writers
... Script Supervisor
... Director
Cast
... Bai Dan
... Alex 'Sashko' Georgiev
... Vasil 'Vasko' Georgiev
... Yana Georgieva
... Baba Sladka
... State Security Agent
... Alex as a child
... Ivo Chikagoto
... Maria
... Dr. Schreiber
EA
Erden Alkan... Turk
... Cafe owner
... Sforza
... Stoyan
... Backgammon player
DD
Dobrin Dosev... Smuggler
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner - The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
Photos ( 5 )
Related Movies To
The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner - The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
Bet (2025)
0 /10
Before the Liberation, during the years of the exiled Bulgarian revolutionaries in Romania, the Major and the Prime Minister once shared the same ideals, the same home, and even the same woman. Today, the Major orchestrates a conspiracy to overthrow the government led by his former friend, the Prime Minister. The head of state must be assassinated, and the Prince – dethroned. The woman is part of the plot, but she will try to prevent the fratricide.
Run Time: 1hr 40` . MMPA: . Release: 16 Mar 2025
Director: Svetoslav Ovtcharov
Producer:
Stars: Zahari Baharov , Assen Blatechki , Ofelia Popii , Deyan Donkov , Malin Krastev , Alexander Benev
Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988)
6.3 /10
Biography of the life of Aristotle Onassis, a Greek who rose to become one of the world's most wealthiest men, detailing his rise to power and unhappy marriages.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: . Release: 01 May 1988
Director: Waris Hussein
Producer: Laurence Myers , Susan Bluestein , Frank Konigsberg
Stars: Raúl Juliá , Jane Seymour , Anthony Quinn , Francesca Annis , Lorenzo Quinn , Elias Koteas
Glory (2017)
7.6 /10
When Tsanko Petrov, a railroad worker, finds millions of lev on the train tracks, he decides to turn the entire amount over to the police. Grateful, the state rewards him with a new wristwatch… which soon stops working. Meanwhile, Julia Staikova, the head of PR for the Ministry of Transport, loses his old watch. Here starts Petrov’s desperate struggle to get back not only his old watch, but his dignity.
Run Time: 1hr 41` . MMPA: . Release: 02 Mar 2017
Director: Petar Valchanov , Kristina Grozeva
Producer:
Stars: Stefan Denolyubov , Margita Gosheva , Alexandra Angelova , Poli Angelova , Raitsa Assenova , Georgi Bratoev
Gundi: Legend of Love (2024)
0 /10
The great Bulgarian football player Georgi Asparuhov and his greatest love - his wife Lita go through a number of trials of life, football and the political system.
Run Time: 2hr 45` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 2024
Director: Dimitar Dimitrov
Producer: Tsvetoslav Borisov , Gergana Kadieva , Andrei Arnaudov
Stars: Pavel Ivanov , Alexandra Svilenova , Paraskeva Djukelova , Aleksandra Kostova , Biliana Petrinska , Dimiter D. Marinov
Through Our Thorns (2024)
0 /10
Faced with the difficult task of protecting her younger sisters, Svetlana understands the cost of being a savior.
Run Time: 41` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Jan 2024
Director: Tsvetoslav Tsonev , Lyubomir Petkov
Producer: Slav Dimitrov
Stars: Maya Tinkova , Vanessa Peyankova , Katia Kazakova , Andrea Atanasova , Nikolay Kenarov , Assia Ivanova
The Traces Remain (1956)
7.4 /10
This is a typical story from the 'cold war' era. A group of kids play on a quiet street in Sofia. From a nearby window falls a key. The helpful youngsters quickly return it to the owner, but in the haste switch the keys. The unintentional error disentangles a whole spy story. The young detectives doubt the good intentions of the man they tried to help. It turns out that the key is from a secret apartment where saboteurs are hiding. The secret network is exposed to the authorities and the kids feel like heroes.
Run Time: 1hr 22` . MMPA: . Release: 03 Sep 1956
Director: Petar B. Vasilev
Producer: Doncho Todorov
Stars: Stefan Danailov , Vera Dragostinova , Krasimir Medarev , Georgi Naumov , Valentin Vasilev , Miki Cherneva
Viktoria (2014)
6.4 /10
Dreaming of the West, Boryana is determined not to have a child in communist Bulgaria. Nonetheless, her daughter Viktoria enters the world in 1979, curiously missing a belly button, and is declared the country’s Baby of the Decade. Pampered by her mother state until the age of nine, Viktoria’s decade of notoriety comes crashing down with the rest of European communism. But can political collapse and the hardship of new times finally bring Viktoria and her reluctant mother closer together
Run Time: 2hr 35` . MMPA: . Release: 17 Sep 2014
Director: Maya Vitkova
Producer: Maya Vitkova
Stars: Irmena Chichikova , Daria Vitkova , Kalina Vitkova , Mariana Krumova , Dimo Dimov , Georgi Spasov
A Dose of Happiness (2019)
7.1 /10
The real story of the journalist Vesela Toteva (in the role is her daughter -Valentina Karoleva) searching for her own happiness during the dynamic and uncertain 90's in Bulgaria. A tale about drugs, fall, fear and redemption.
Run Time: 1hr 40` . MMPA: . Release: 08 Nov 2019
Director: Yana Titova
Producer:
Stars: Valentina Karoleva , Dimitar Nikolov , Aleksandar Aleksiev , Assen Blatechki , Lydia Indjova , Irmena Chichikova
The Boss's Daughters (1973)
6.8 /10
In September 1923, during the so-called 'anti-fascist' uprising, police chief's daughter Kita falls for a student with communist beliefs. Although loyal to the monarch, her father's paternal instinct force him to compromise but his retaliation against the rebels takes a devastating turn.
Run Time: 2hr 59` . MMPA: . Release: 23 Sep 1973
Director: Diana Cherneva , Nedelcho Chernev
Producer:
Stars: Violeta Gindeva , Sashka Bratanova , Stefan Getsov , Marin Mladenov , Bogomil Simeonov , Petar Chernev
The Lesson (2014)
7.2 /10
An honest, hard-working schoolteacher in a small Bulgarian town is driven to desperate measures to avoid financial ruin.
Run Time: 1hr 51` . MMPA: . Release: 04 Sep 2014
Director: Petar Valchanov , Kristina Grozeva
Producer: Petar Valchanov , Irini Vougioukalou , Konstantina Stavrianou
Stars: Margita Gosheva , Ivanka Bratoeva , Ivan Barnev , Stefan Denolyubov , Ivan Savov , Deya Todorova
The Flying Machine (1981)
7.4 /10
The wars of 1912-1913 pass as a distant echo in Dozhden, a small village in the Rhodopes. Overwhelmed by a dream to fly, the young shepherd Sirachko, the son of a skilled craftsman, set about building an aircraft.
Run Time: 1hr 15` . MMPA: . Release: 27 Jul 1981
Director: Ognyan Gelinov
Producer:
Stars: Hristo Garbov , Krassimir Dokov , Юлия Кожинкова , Yulia Kozhinkova , Anani Yavashev , Anya Pencheva
Khan Asparukh - Part II - The Migration (1981)
0 /10
This is an epic screen presentation showing the creation, the consolidation and the power of First Bulgarian Kingdom and the first Bulgarian ruler Khan Asparuh. The second part of the great historical epic - "The Migration" - tells about the long journey to the land of the Bulgarians of today's Bulgaria. Here the young Khan Asparukh laid the foundations of the new state. The authors adhere to the established historical versions for this event. The film builds on the impressive mass scenes and the convincing served psychological characteristics of the main characters. The image of Asparoukh is a natural center of the story, in which many minor persons recreate the environment of the Khan. Romantic exalted, Asparukh is shown as capable leader of the people, consistently implement his own ideas.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 1981
Director: Ludmil Staikov
Producer:
Stars: Stoyko Peev , Antony Genov , Vassil Mihajlov , Vania Tzvetkova , Stefan Getsov , Georgi Cherkelov