Viktoria review – fierce, urgent intergenerational story from communist-bloc Bulgaria

Aya Vitkova’s powerful and ambitious drama Viktoria was first shown at Sundance a decade ago and is now finally available for streaming in the UK. This exceptional film is a remarkable achievement for Vitkova, particularly considering it was her debut. It is intense and urgent, with stunning design, acting, and cinematography. Viktoria tells the story of women across generations in Bulgaria, before and after the 1989 revolutions. It may have been influenced by Romanian director Radu Jude, with whom Vitkova collaborated on short films, as it incorporates elements of absurdism, skepticism, and slow-burn passion. On television, Vitkova also worked on an episode of Michael Palin’s BBC TV travel series “New Europe,” where she explored the Balkans. Interestingly, Viktoria features an image of someone walking through snow only to be tossed aside by a giant hand from the sky.

During the 1970s in Sofia, Bulgaria, a woman named Boryana (played by Irmena Chichikova) is determined to leave the oppressive Eastern bloc with her husband Ivan (played by Dimo Dimov). She fantasizes about living in the United States and even has a cigarette lighter shaped like the Statue of Liberty. However, her mother Dima (played by Mariana Krumova) strongly disagrees with her rebellious views and remains loyal to the communist party, unable to imagine any other way of life than submission to male-dominated power structures. When Boryana becomes pregnant, she is horrified and takes extreme measures to terminate the pregnancy, lacking any maternal instincts. The film uses milk as a recurring symbol of frustration and discontent, along with the hopes for a miscarriage.

Viktoria’s birth on Bulgarian Victory day, without a belly button, is seen as a symbol of the country’s constant renewal and rejection of past loyalties. This grants her and her family special privileges, but also means they are constantly under the watchful eye of the authorities, making Boryana’s dream of escape impossible. As Viktoria grows up pampered and spoiled, she even has the privilege of inspecting her classmates’ belly buttons and has a direct line to her godfather, the prime minister. Boryana, on the other hand, is trapped in a state of resentment, only breaking into a smile when she thinks she might finally be able to escape.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the grandmother, mother, and daughter are left alone in a time of uncertainty. The strong bond that connected them emotionally is now gone. Dima is overwhelmed by shock, similar to her daughter’s quiet anger. Boryana is unsure how to navigate the newfound freedom at home, something she had always believed could only be found abroad. As young Viktoria (now portrayed by Kalina Vitkova) grows into her teenage years, she loses her entitled princess attitude but gains a deeper understanding and connection with her grandmother.

The strength of Viktoria lies in the tragedy of a life that was not used, passions that were not pursued, potential that was not fulfilled, and existence that was not realized. For Boryana and her peers, the year 1989 marked the end of communism, but it was a seismic event that they could not fully comprehend. They were neither old enough (like Dima) to experience the security of the old communist ways, nor young enough (like Viktoria) to fully embrace the new freedoms. The film portrays a strange and aimless feeling after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite the horrors of postwar communism, it was a time filled with drama, purpose, and meaning. Now, all of that is gone, and they are left with a sense of emptiness, similar to Viktoria’s belly button-free stomach. There is a sense of loss, but also the opportunity for reinvention and a fresh start in history.