Let's be realistic.

Brilliant and touching

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

This documentary is amazing and brilliant, and of course, because of that, many persons can't understand it and don't agree. However, replying to Canadian guy, who said dozes of time how he didn't understand nothing of it (I wonder why?) and that this movie 'is like watching Borat, but without Borat'... This movie were not made for plain Westerns, or to be some cheap product for amusing everyone, as Borat is. Or to be kind of funny and provocative, so millions can have a little fun... This move is an excellent true story which aim is to express atmosphere and realism which is present in Belane 100%. Belane, which is town in Bulgaria, a sovereign and solid state in European Union! What is shocking there is real thing, not fiction or pumping up. After watching, one first meditate for some time, and after is spreading recommendation for watching. Camera, music, composition of movie... Indeed stunning job! Congratulate! For everyone who agree I recommend to watch 'The Shutka Book of Record'. Josip from Zagreb

What a beautiful and quirky documentary! A documentary that is funny, poetical and social, all at the same time without boring the viewers with false pretences and intellectual babble.The story reminded me of a mosquito flight – it commences than it stops, it hops on and off the different characters and occasionally it bites. Interestingly the director Andrey Paounov chose to focus on the smallest of creatures — the mosquito — as a way of exploring the bigger issues: what are we here for? How do we live our lives? How did the past affect us and what are we going to do about the future? And although the whole documentary is based on both humorous and tense juxtapositions, in the end the most important message of the film comes from the mouth of one of the characters: "There are mosquitoes everywhere!" As if he was saying there are problems everywhere but life goes on. We could deal with them and move on!

Couldn't disagree more with Nic from Canada. This film is a consummate study of humanity - like a Peter Greenaway mock-doc, only, in this case it's all true folks, and therefore acutely significant. The great achievement of the film is the skill with which Paounov switches from a procession of entertaining absurdities into the real, terrifying underlying story of Belene before you as a viewer even realise what's happening to you. The result is that you're left puzzled about all sorts of things, but especially how we humans, we innocents, can get ourselves tied up in such a mess of history. Definitely worth two hours of your life (and that's including the commercials).

I normally don't write reviews. But this movie is so terrible, that I feel I owe to fellow IMDb patrons to stay away. I can understand an ideological movie. I can understand an 'independent' movie. I can understand a movie that pretends to be a documentary but is in fact an absurd collection of stories. I can understand quirky characters. I can understand contrast, irony, non-linear/non-existent plots and utter desolation. What I can't understand is all of it put together in a meaningless, unedited, frustrating and painfully boring whole. It's like the director feels that because his subjects had to waste the entire time of their lives in some horrible pathetic place, that's its OK to waste two hours of yours. Put another way: It's like watching Borat, but without Borat.