A beautiful mineral water pool by the Black Sea in Varna, lovingly called “the pit” by local residents, is a microcosmos that stands for an entire society. In this human documentary, Bulgarian director Hristiana Raykova portrays her hometown’s elders who, sitting in the hot water, lean back up against the pool’s edge and philosophise about their lives. Here, personal and political convictions collide, and tell of both social change and stagnation at the periphery of Europe.

Hristiana Raykova