Mirage
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Macedonia/Austria 2004; Youth Drama; original title "Iluzija"; 35mm; 104 minutes; aspect ratio: 1:1,85; HD; Dolby SRD; original language Macedonian, available for screening with English and French subtitles
CREDITS
PRODUCER & DIRECTOR |
Svetozar Ristovski |
PRODUCTION |
Small Moves Ltd. |
CO-PRODUCER |
Synchro Film & Video |
SCREENPLAY |
Grace Lea Troje, Svetozar Ristovski |
CINEMATOGRAPHY |
Vladimir Samoilovski |
EDITOR |
Atanas Georgiev |
MUSIC |
Klaus Hundsbichler |
CAST
Marko |
Marko Kovacevic |
Professor |
Mustafa Nadarevic |
Lazo/Father |
Vlado Jovnovski |
PARIS |
Nikola Djuricko |
Chief Of The Police |
Dejan Acimovic |
Levi |
Martin Jovchevski |
Fanny |
Slavica Manaskova |
Angja/Mother |
Elena Mosevska |
SYNOPSIS
MIRAGE is a beautiful and tragic tale of a talented schoolboy driven to despair by bullying, neglect and betrayal set amidst the turmoil of modern day Macedonia...
Marko's world is collapsing around him. Gambling and alcohol poison life at home, while ruthless bullies make school unbearable.
When his teacher encourages the talented 12-year-old to enter a poetry competition which could win him a trip to Paris, he dreams of escaping from the weary world he has been born into.
As circumstances grow worse, Marko sinks deeper into his refuge of hopes and dreams. When he befriends a solitary soldier of fortune, Marko learns hard new lessons in how to survive, he must either "eat or be eaten". Ultimately, in seeking justice for a betrayal too bitter to swallow, Marko takes matters into his own hands.
´Superbly modulated ... a modest triumph of fearless acting and pointed social commentary in the same vein as "Ivan's Childhood,"...the script is a marvel of clarity, economy and metaphor.´ Eddie Cockrell, VARIETY