The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989 - a pivotal event which led to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War. Just one day later, the Bulgarian Communist Party ousted the country’s dictatorial leader Todor Zhivkov. The date is considered the beginning of Bulgaria’s transition to democracy. A change in power without bloodshed. “No violence, no victims.” A silent revolution.
For Bulgarians, doors to the West opened overnight. Travel was no longer restricted; the future was possible elsewhere in Europe and in America. How would Bulgarians handle their newfound freedom?
The documentary film “Children of the Silent Revolution” centers on a tightknit group of eight classmates from the central Bulgarian town of Kazanlak as they finish high school in 1995 and take their first steps into a rapidly changing world. They were “18-year-old kids, drunk with youth, in love with life, and eager to grasp their future.”
Some of the group remained in Bulgaria while for others, “emigration was the path to the wealth they dreamed of,” whether it be in Ireland, California, or in the northernmost regions of Norway. All were searching for “the beginning of the life they imagined, or so they believed back then.”
This compelling, well-made documentary follows the students, listening to their voices through intervals of their new life. Were their hopes and dreams fulfilled, either by staying in Bulgaria or by moving to the West? Were they happy or did they feel cheated? How did they see their future? Did their lives improve following Bulgaria’s silent revolution?
Filmmaker Viktoria Ershova, who left for America following high school, meets her classmates intermittently over the years and they freely speak their minds, something that wouldn’t have been possible if it was an outsider filming their lives. As a result, the stories they tell are poignant and honest and they don’t hold back with their opinions. Yet, no matter how far their lives have taken them, they all regard their native Bulgaria as home, as evidenced in their frequent class reunions; an ongoing affection for their homeroom teacher; and an intense love for their beautiful hometown.
Interspersed between the personal interviews is a vivid presentation of Bulgaria’s transformative, turbulent years, detailing citizens’ growing frustrations with their government and the burst bubble of politicians’ promises. The growing disillusionment with what was “a grand political experiment” helps explain what happened to Bulgaria’s children of the silent revolution. Communism may have fallen and their world changed forever, but democracy has yet to fulfill their dreams of a “just and prosperous future.”
“Children of the Silent Revolution” is must-viewing for anyone who wants to gain an insider’s perspective of how Bulgaria changed following the collapse of the country’s communist era. The fact that the documentary gives voice to ordinary citizens still faced with the ongoing challenges of modern Bulgaria makes it even more worth watching.
Viktoria Ershova was born and raised in Kazanlak, Bulgaria until she went to the United States at age 18. “Children of the Silent Revolution” is her debut feature film. The film has been screened in a number of festivals and audiences across the U.S. and Bulgaria. Viktoria is based in Los Angeles, but returned to Bulgaria for a year to finish the film.
The film “Children of the Silent Revolution” can be purchased, or streamed, on the official website.
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