AVÉ

With no word of explanation a strange girl joins Kamen by the roadside in Sofia as he tries to thumb a lift to Ruse in northern Bulgaria. No sooner are the two hitchhikers inside the first car than 17-year-old Avé starts to tell the driver tall tales. Kamen, too bemused to protest, finds himself being roped into the stories and false identities she continues to make up for the rest of the journey. When his companion’s lies begin to land the pair in tricky situations, he waves goodbye. The parting is temporary: their paths cross again in Ruse, where Avé and Kamen draw closer to each other. A promising scenario for a tale of budding love, except the unfamiliar city holds all kinds of tests in store for the young couple … Konstatin Bojanov’s road movie about an ill-matched couple in a country in upheaval was well received when screened in “Semaine de la critique” at Cannes. Avoiding stereotypes but full of affection for the characters shown, the Bulgarian director’s film is steeped in the melancholy of leavetaking and transition. Yet every scene resonates with quiet, nuanced humour.