Betina Ip

Mila, a young pianist, tries to prepare for an audition abroad but her brother, Niki, keeps distracting her with his annoying talent for the absurd. Todor, their astrophysicist father, seems unable to deal with his children’s anxieties. A family portrait during their last summer together.

This is a tale about the death of Goleshovo, a forgotten town in the mountains of Bulgaria. Here, a handful of old people struggle for survival: A couple fights with their donkey. A forgetful priest leads his congregation into confusion. A woman cheers up her friends with songs. Will their children ever return? Composed with rigorous attention to form, this observational documentary is an austere yet ultimately rewarding portrait of hope.