Why a Former Doctor Used Film to Diagnose Social Problems in ‘Blaga’s Lessons’

“The best treatment starts with a good diagnosis,” director Stephan Komandarev said at TheWrap’s screening of the prize-winning Bulgarian film

Blaga's Lessons
"Blaga's Lessons" (Argo Film)

“In every screening with a Q&A, there is always a question about the ending,” Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev said of his film “Blaga’s Lessons,” in which an elderly woman who’s been the victim of phone scammers begins to slide down a path that ends in a shocking act all but guaranteed to leave an audience shaken. And TheWrap’s screening of Komandarev’s film at the Crescent Theater in Beverly Hills on Saturday was no exception, because executive editor, awards Steve Pond opened the post-screening Q&A by bringing up that ending.

“We also tried other kinds of endings, but somehow the script always rejected the other, more optimistic endings,” Komandarev said.

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