Zift | The Plurp

Home

Movies

Movie Reviews (A-Z)

Zift

Written by Octaveous

Zift (from Arabic): 1. pitch, tar, asphalt; 2. chewing gum; 3. shit (urban slang)

In his feature film directorial debut, Javor Gardev gives us the Bulgarian genre mixed neo-noir and Socialist art film, Zift. Having been imprisoned just before the Communist coup of Bulgaria in 1944 for an unjust conviction of murder, the Moth is finally freed on parole only to enter a strange and unfamiliar totalitarian state. Carrying only a glass eye in his pocket and his lump of zift in hand, his initial plan for freedom, catch a boat to the tropics, is quickly destroyed as his one-night odyssey beings the second he walks out of prison when he is abducted by bloodhounds of the communist state.

He manages to escape and spends his one night of freedom in a race against time, trying to avoid his destiny, as he gets closer and closer to his ultimate demise. The Moth proceeds to go from one peculiar encounter to the next, all ultimately leading him to his former lover, Ada who is nicknamed the Mantis. Enduring catastrophic twists, turns and a number of revelations, the Moth’s wild night eventually concludes in a profound climax in the gravediggers' trailer.

For a first time director, Gardev paints a highly descriptive picture of a hellish totalitarian city with crumbling neighborhoods and dismal streets, surrounded by grandiose communist architecture strung together by the cobblestone and zift laden streets. The narrative is told to us by our main character in a series of encounters, flashbacks and hallucinations all cleverly weaved together so as to carefully unfold the story. Gardev also gives us a sense of this time difference by having shot the scenes set in the 1960s in 35mm, the flashbacks to the 1940s in 16mm, and for that grainy feel, the scenes set earlier than that were shot in 8mm.

The various layers of meaning, in the name, in the social narrative, and in the characters are also reveled through the clever narrative. For instance the Moth’s path in life can be confusing and unpredictable just as a moth’s flight is as it flutters about. There is the more obvious metaphor of the draw of the Moth towards his old flame, so to speak, which leads to his ultimate demise. As the Moth and Mantis make love, we are treated to simultaneous images of a female mantis devouring the head of the male during mating in order to increase his potency, but also killing him in the process.

Zift is a great film, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Despite being a black and white film, there’s no pretension in this movie. You never get the feel like this movie is only for niche film watchers. At its’ base, this film is a story about love and revenge and one mans journey for just a little bit of freedom in a hopeless world. It’s amazing that such a carefully crafted film is a part of the Discovery program at the TIFF, which is a showcase for new and emerging filmmakers. If this movie is just a glimpse into what Javor Gardev will be giving us in the future, then I’ll be looking out for his future works.

8.5 out of 10

Check out the Zift trailer: