Stop the Car

It’s a chilly, snowy winter’s day in Igor Hristov’s Stop the Car.

Brothers Deyan (Tigran Torsian) and Boyan (Ovanes Torosian) are out on the make, looking to steal a car at a toilet stop on a local road. People tend to leave their cars running due to the cold, so it’s the perfect place to take the car and take it a local chop shop who will strip it for parts and pay them well for their work. The first part of the scheme plays out as Deyan expected, but a complication arises when they realise there is a child asleep in the backseat of the SUV they stole. This quandary allows for a ethical dilemma for the brothers, particularly Boyan, who are now wrapped up in a far more serious crime than carjacking.

Hristov script, co-written with producer Nevena Semova, makes a clear distinction between the brothers from the off. Deyan is a career criminal; wearing his black leather jacket, formulating the plan, liaising with Kista, the fence. Boyan is evidently less experienced, following the lead of his older brother. Boyan stayed home and cared for their mother while Deyan was off spending time abroad, expanding his criminal horizons. They have an easy affinity with one another, but this fundamental schism affords an immediate tension when they discover the boy asleep in seat behind them – Boyan’s immediate reaction is panic, and his inclination is to ditch the car and wash their hands of the situation. Deyan’s mind is on forging forward regardless.

This moral quandary – which only becomes more complex when further plot twists are revealed – is set against the cool backdrop of a wintry evening. Alexander Krumov’s photography accentuates the blue-white tones, the coldness of the world the brothers inhabit and the situation they find themselves in. Stop the Car provides the perfect vehicle to offer them a chance at turning a corner, at making the right choice, but the pressures on them both weigh heavily and being good is not always so easy.

Director: Igor Hristov
Screenplay: Igor Hristov, Nevena Semova
Cast: Ovanes Torosian, Tigran Torosian, Anika Aleksandrova
Producer: Nevena Semova
Cinematography: Alexander Krumov
Editing: Mitko Balabanov
Music: Boris Nenov
Sound: Rossen Pavlov
Production design: Tsveta Dimova
Production company: Attic Films (Bulgaria)
Venue: Oldenburg Film Festival (Shorts)
In Bulgarian
17 minutes

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