DIE GRUBE

It’s winter, 5 degrees and the water’s steaming. People sit in the hot water, leaning against the edge of the pool. Behind them the sea, an endless expanse.

What at first glance looks like a beautiful spa by the sea, the people of Varna call it “the pit”. A cinematic portrait of the Bulgarian present and the investigation of a microcosm that stands for an entire society. The regular visitors of the basin are our protagonists: the taxi driver Dimtscho, who finds love at the pit at the age of 61. The retired musician Alexander, who wants to rent his rooms to tourists and tells us about his time as a womanizer. Genadi, who takes care of the pit like a loving caretaker and who lives his dream of a petting zoo. And Bobi, who is homeless and who walks the streets at night near the pit. Individual biographies, touching personal stories, interpersonal conflicts and exciting discussions combine to form a diverse picture. World views and political convictions meet in the pit and tell of social change and stagnation on the edge of Europe.

Director

HRISTIANA RAYKOVA was born in 1985 in Varna/Bulgaria. After studying Political Science and working as a cinematographer and video editor, she studied Directing at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Her films include: BABA DIMITRA (short doc, 2012), SEMSSUI (short, 2012), DER EINZIG WAHRE WEINACHTSMANN (short doc, 2013), H – DER HERMANNSWEG KOMPLETT UND AM STÜCK (short doc, 2014), KÖNIGE (doc, 2014), and THE PIT (doc, 2018).

Hristiana Raykova photos © Johannes Greisle/Filmuniversität Babelsberg