The Bra

The Bra is the funniest film I saw at IFFK 2022 at the time of writing. More so because a lot can go wrong in a film like this that often inadvertently tries to enter misogyny territory but never does. You can't predict what's going to happen and that's the charm of the lead character in this silent film that's periodically funny and ultimately poignant. I 100% enjoyed the film like I had never before and it's for that experience I give it a full 10. I'm gonna think about it days and kaybe weeks ahead and would highly recommend my women friends to give it a try so that I can know if the idea of liking the film is mutual.

(Watched at the 2022 International Film Festival of Kerala in Trivandrum.)

Nurlan drives his train every day through rural Azerbaijan and a suburb of the megacity of Baku. There is so little space in this slum that the residents hang up their clotheslines over the railroad tracks.

During one of these rides, a nice blue bra gets caught on the train from Nurlan. Who in the district is the owner of the laundry? Nurlan sets out on an unusual mission to find the woman and maybe love.

The film by German director Veit Helmer tells the warmhearted story in quiet pictures and without dialogue. A bold cinematic experiment, only visually we follow the Protagonist on his extraordinary quest - experiment succeeded - highly recommended.

The first gift of the film is Miki Manojlovic. The fans of Kusturica know why. The second - in my case- Maia Morgenstern. The secod gift - the atmosphere, and the simplicity of story and flavours of so many books, films, near reality fragment. Not the last - the special poetry proposed by the absence of dialogue and the cinematography. And, sure, the boy, the great small boy. So, many gifts of this not ordinary but profound touching of Cinderella story.

Quirky. Real. Real quirky. Don't listen to negative reviews. Try it. Glorious depiction of a boring life turned around, for just a minute. Some cruelty, strange passages and events. Modern day Cinderella with some quirky realness. Don't be afraid. Try it.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm glad I saw it on a whim. It didn't take long for the silent story to captivate me, and having travelled myself to similar cultured places was surprised to see the authenticity. The story is an obvious take on Cinderella where the protagonist is trying to find one specific person who owns this bra. But with a unique culture twist. I enjoyed it very much