Bulgarian Lovers (2003)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Gaymovies are most of the times a rather boring experience as most of the times the base is just the same : not being accepted. In this movie from director Eloy de la Iglesia (unknown, but so far he made 23 movies) is a bit different but the movie looses everything due to an unbelievable story. "Los novios bulgaros" stands for the new Bulgarians and that are, in Iglesia's eyes, men who come to Spain and in return for illegal papers they play gay whore for some rich men. I can imagine that for most of the Bulgarians this item is quite insulting and Iglesia thought it was even better to add some cliché in it as well by making the Bulgarians criminals who are smuggling radio-active weapons. I dunno if Iglesia wanted to make a James Bondmovie in his dream rather than coming up with some real issues but if it was his goal to touch some modern problems of the current society (refugees who have to sell their body) then he lost it completely here. All by all the film is quite okay to watch but at one point Iglesia tries to defense a minority group by offending the others. From a cinematographic point of view you don't have to seek for surprises as well as is it just a bland job.

Overall this film gives the viewer a good picture of the gay night world in contemporary Spain, but the focus is on the relationship between stolid, bull-like Kyril and emotional passive Daniel. Daniel is the successful and well--to-do middle-aged business consultant who spends much of his free time cruising for sex in night spots. He hooks up with much younger (supposedly age 23, but Biba looks older) Kyril, a Bulgarian immigrant, missing his fiancée who is in Berlin. (Why these two young lovers are separated is not clear.) But Kyril is ready to meet Daniel's needs for friendship and more. The nature of the developing relationship is made clear at the outset with Kyril making love to Daniel in an overpowering and explicit manner. Daniel is much in love with Kyril, but Kyril sees Daniel only as a convenience, a source of money, shelter, and help with his working papers in Spain and with a project that evidently deals with international atomic fuel smuggling. In connection wit the last, Daniel often finds himself involved in skirting the law. The performances by Dritan Biba and Guillen-Cuervo as the older man are excellent and make this movie fun to watch. Both actors should get special awards for their sensitive portrayals of men having a sexual relationship.

If you have ever been involved with another guy from a former communist country who has absolutely nothing, you can relate to this film! Involved with an poor guy from ANY poor country? YOU CAN RELATE TO THIS FILM! You don't understand their culture, you don't understand their compatriots, their language or their relatives. This guy excites you TOTALLY and you don't really mind the growing drain on your pocketbook... You become more and more in love and more and more involved. The passion of it is exciting; so is the exotic nature of the whole thing including the travel to their home country. What are you getting into?

This is one of the really bad films I have seen lately(thanks for the gratuitous nudity!). Beside the poor acting and lack of authenticity in the representation of the Bulgarian hunk, the meager Spaniard is regretful, the whole plot is brave but lacks back up from the cast and director. The generalizations about the Bulgarians are so hmmmm...general that they should be found offensive by anyone who is Bulgarian. (My friend is and she thought it was awful too). There are so many loose ends and discrepancies, the cast and acting are so naive and not convincing. The Spaniard who supposedly is a big fish and has a consulting firm is so dumbfound with love or desire for the BulG hunk, that he looks like an idiot. The solo shots of him looking at the camera and trying to deliver some sort of documentary feel to the movie do not fit, there is nothing that can save it.Don't waste your time and money to rent this.