Ilyuzia (1980)

The intricate relations between an Artist, an Actress and a Poet are seen against the background of one of the most dramatic events in the recent history of Bulgaria: uprising, which broke out in 1923. Plainclothesmen murder the Poet because his verses are marked by individualist rebellion. The Artist loses his best friend and at this point of realistic first half of the film comes to the end. The second half develops on a metaphorical and fantastic level. After his meeting with the peasant Danil who has gone crazy, the Artist's illusion that art can be separate from life crumbles. He sees the rapid crushing of uprising and the suffering of the people with fearsome force and clarity. The Artist comes to understand that the reality can be a much richer source of creative inspiration than the artificially closed world of the elitist intelligentsia of his time. The film, notable for the unusual atmosphere of Konstantin Pavlov's magical lyricism is an attempt on the part of director Lyudmil Staykov at 'reconciling' two heterogeneous cinematic styles by means of montage.