Omnipresent

I guess there is no one that have ever touched a 'device' with the ability to record video and audio - knowingly or unknowingly to the audience and not to notice the idea of Emil floating in one's mind. Very good approach to the character development, dynamic narrative and a pinch of aristocracy, which unfortunately lacks in the 'modern' Bulgarian society today. Worth watching, regardless of the nationality though. Definitely recommended.

A contemporary story told in very realistic setting, a lot of character background. What I did not like were the same old pauses, which characters add for some unknown reason (drama probably) for the past 50 years of Bulgarian cinema. Fortunately they are getting shorter and shorter with each decade. Sound, again. Character speech is sometimes hard to understand.

Acting was superb , casting fitted the characters perfectly. The only weaker role had main character's girlfriend - Maria. But since this is her first big role, it was a good start.

I'm glad the director- Ilian Djevelekov continues to make better and better movies. The screenplay was very very interesting, detailed and tight. This time he raised the bar way far, so for his next movie we'll have much higher expectations.

What shook me most is how real every scene was. At least half of the feelings I saw in the characters I have also felt myself. Immersive, part of real life stories, down to earth characters. Both interesting, spicy, zero exaggerating and in the end - even brutal. Highly recommended!

I'm amazed by the movie and the whole idea behind it! It illustrates the digital age and all the dangers behind it! Great masterpiece and everyone must watch it !

"Omnipresent" is a human film to its last frame. Honest, bitter, and cruel - even a little crueler than you want it to be. The seemingly simple story, focusing on painfully well known life experiences, is actually much more than just Big Brother in cinemas. The film has enough layers for anyone who has the desire to get into them. You've heard of the phrase "a film about"... well, this is a film about a thousand things. About personal limits. About difficult secrets. About the fragility of the human soul. About love. About art. About the confusion of human relationships. About feeling low. About the media. About inspiration. About nudity. About freedom. About God most interesting, containing within all the others, is the God angle. The paths to musings about Him in the film are visual, narrative, and meaningful. The protagonist of the film, Emil, says "you must know only as much as you can bear", which reminds us of the biblical truth that "he who gains knowledge, carries sorrow." God himself may be looking through Emil's eyes, but only seemingly... maybe.

The story

Emil is not just an ad agent, Emil is a writer. This is a detail that inevitably leads us to the idea of the Artist, the creator of worlds. And like any inspiration, his idea to describe this mysterious world around him comes about quite accidentally. In the meantime, surveillance cameras turn into a mirror of hidden existences, which until recently have been buried somewhere in the subconscious of the film's characters; as if right there, in the unrecognized truths before us, we are both most human and least human, alas.

The cast

Velislav Pavlov, who is a perfect, perfect Emil, didn't just accidentally nab a lead actor "Golden Rose" for this portrayal. Teodora Duhovnikova also earned herself a "Golden Rose" for her female lead in the film. Besides her, Vesela Babinova (for whom Omnipresent is a feature debut!), Irmena Chichikova, Anastasia Lyutova and actors such as Boris Lukanov and Mihail Mutafov are a real joy to watch on screen, for which I am thankful!

There is no way to miss the great (as always) camera work of Emil Hristov, who quite unobtrusively and masterfully mixes in the voyeuristic vision behind the hidden cameras. It is another play on duality – that between the perfection we seek in the world and the raw picture of our true essences - without assembly, in dead colors, unadulterated, just as it is.

Тhe film is directed by Ilian Djevelekov, (well-known from his feature-length debut "LOVE.NET"). Ilian teamed up with Matey Konstantinov to write this screenplay). The producer is Miramar Film, also the creators of "LOVE.NET" and "Zift". In short, you have a team with proved success. Another reason to hope for a good screening future for "Omnipresent".

In short...

I recommend "Omnipresent" with both hands because such films - about broken human relationships and fuzzy interpersonal boundaries - are not often done in our country, at least not from this very personal angle. It's probably not easy to direct such an honest film, perhaps requiring a monstrous dose of personal reflection, but that's just the key to the kinds of stories you talk about for hours, and you think about for days, and you remember for weeks. And if you look a little deeper, you can find the best thing in them - hope.

To those who are tempted by cinema from inside, I would like to add that in one of its layers, "Omnipresent" is also a film about art and its meaning. Especially for this, my most favorite – the art behind the camera. Beyond the "Big Brother story", the film reminds us that we CAN, indeed, create stories about joy. As this seems most deserving to remain preserved forever after us.

"Omnipresent" (2017) is the strangest Bulgarian movie that I have ever seen - a unique idea in the Bulgarian cinema, good acting, but there are so many unnecessary scenes which just can't develop the characters. Everything is so slow, realistic, annoying and silly - these constant sex scenes brought the mixed feelings that I had after watching the film.

Emil (the main character) isn't the great hero who saves the day, his story is so real and imperfect. Relationships, job, family life, spicy reactions and emotions - they actually made me give 6/10. He was simultaneously a badass and a charming funny gentleman who follows all the actions of his father-in-law.