Sashka Bratanova

Vassil (41) is a documentary film director who has not achieved the success he dreams of. He puts all his energy filming the broken relationship between a monk and his mother. Meanwhile Vassil's wife and their 14-year-old daughter take second place in his life. The director learns that the monk is in a psychiatry while his mother will have to undergo a cancer surgery. To bring them together to forgive each other is Vassil's long awaited finale of his film. He faces a dilemma to shoot "life as it is" or show human compassion and empathy.

A man and a woman meet again after many years - on the territory and circumstances of post-socialist Bulgaria. A university graduate and poetess, forced to adapt herself to the new social environment, she survives in her own country as a tram driver. Having arrived for his father's funeral after years of travels abroad, he catches a glimpse of his old flame accidentally in a tram. Could they bring back their emotional time, the time of their lives? Could they try to resurrect whatever bound them together in their youth?

Dimo Manchev (Partsalev), a 50-year-old head of family, has a conservative notion of upbringing and morality. Being familiar with his disposition, the Manchev's daughter Lili (Bratanova) married his sweetheart Plamen (Gadzhokov) in secret. The young couple cast about how to announce the marriage all the more that they are both still students studying in university. The hesitation grows when the father shows strictness even though they present their relation as some university friendship.

The charming young man Ran is a director in a school in his hometown. His classmate Mariana is his wife. At the first glance, things are like, as they ought to be. In the world of untold words and timid gestures something important is missing - the understanding. He cannot succumb to the routine, hypocrisy and egoism. Ran sees every moment of his everyday life as a part of everlasting human strive for beauty and perfection, which brings him many troubles and causes conflicts with his colleagues and his friends. The intrigues and betrayal of a part of his colleagues during the visitation of a school inspector make him lose his patience. On a public place, he slaps the inspector who destroys the human dignity of the others. There is a court against Ran. He must leave the school. He leaves his wife Mariana who does not understand him. These misfortunes do not stop his search for real values, real work, real love, in another place, another town, another school.

The day that the financial clerk Metodi Rashkov is getting retired comes. He is a shy and quiet man and he accepts all tasks given to him by his son and daughter in law without argument. With time, he becomes a housekeeper; he shops, cooks and looks after his grandson. In order to save his face in front of his friends he lies to them and falls in a number of uncomfortable situations. The "Expolsion" becomes imminent. The reason is insignificant but with great consequences. Rashkov leaves his home. Soon the freedom which he wanted becomes boring for him. The abandoned family begins to miss the grandfather. At the end everyone sees their mistakes and is ready to fix them. The birth of a second grandson is the event which brings everyone under the same roof again.

Gallows is being raised in a prison yard. A moment before the execution the Girl brings a document of the young communist's temporary pardon. The chief of the prison, the Major, has a mandolin collection. He offers a fistfight to the young communist. The young man hits him. The Major and the young communist start playing the mandolins together. Girl is allowed to meet the young communist. The boy begins to play. The melody brings to the Major pleasant memories. He fought in the Spanish civil war, but after the defeat, he turned back on his beliefs. The Major receives a telegram that he needs to send the young communist to another prison. Death awaits him there. In is rage the Major breaks the mandolins. He orders the young communist to be taken out to work. The young man runs off. The Major shoots him himself.

The action centers on Ran and his schoolmates who are in the last year of school. They are only a few days away from the day when they will have to make a decisive choice: what are they going to be, and what is more important, how are they going to live? In the whirlpool of meetings with different people and mainly with three women, the filmmakers are trying to see the future of their main character. His schoolmate Mariana wants to lead him into family life. The pop singer Neli is the very incarnation of adventurism. However, he is most deeply touched by the salesgirl in the near-by coffee shop Tintyava. This is a wordless affair in which each glance exchanged betrays the piercing excitement of impossible love.

Two young couples decide to spend some vacation days on a small uninhabited island. Alas, soon they'll find out that the place turns to be not so isolated.