Dante's Heaven

A modern, thought-provoking reading of Dante Alighieri's classic "Divine Comedy", this movie isn't for the weak of heart; it deals with real, traumatic issues presented in a delicate way.

Despite its heavy plot, it is nonetheless about forgiveness and leaves the viewers with hope for the future.

I highly recommend it!

NB This will not be a sophisticated review showing a deep understanding of the inner emotions of the main character.

When I first read what is the movie about I thought to myself, oh no, the next movie referring to the Communist times. But actually this is not the main story and the focus is on the simple, calm and good person called Dante. Perfect role of Vlado Penev, who shows the awakening of Dante in a slow and gentle way.

Impressive close-up shots, focus on small details, beautiful Raya (Radina Borshosh).

A time nice spent, left me thinking and with positive feelings, thank you.

I had no expectations (not a fan of Bulgarian cinema) but the film evokes emotion, speaks to our collective past and present and leaves you on an optimistic note with the will to live and move on that Dante himself found after the turmoil.

Vladimir Penev's performance is superb!

It's been a long time since I've seen such a meaningful Bulgarian movie... I liked the story, I liked the way it was told, I liked the message.

The dynamics were deeply realistic, translating the bodily senses through an engaging journey of genuine empathy for each of the characters.

And the ending... tells the whole theology in just one sentence...

It would have been an omission if I had passed over that title.

If you consider yourself a fan of Divine Comedy and want to experience Inferno, Purgatory and Heaven you are at the right place!

The movie depicts the story of a man, named Dante, who goes through an existential crisis (Inferno), after that he searches for solutions for the difficulties in his life (Purgatory) and in the very end he implements the knowledge he gathered while walking down his own path of subjective justice (Heaven). Did he reach his Heaven? Or maybe he is constantly ruminating through the circles of the Inferno? The viewers decide for themselves!

Both the characters and the situations in the movie are quite realistic. It is almost like a modern interpretation of Dante's Divine Comedy and this clearly shows that the concepts of Inferno, Purgatory and Heaven are absolutely independent of space and time!

Prepare for a deep, dark trip through the labyrinths of the human soul! Worth watching! Enjoy!