In early 1980s Bulgaria in a seaside town, a young mildly disabled 18-year-old young man named Peter (Yani Malinov, completely watchable in his screen debut) flees home after his younger sister accidentally drowns at the beach when they snuck out for a swim (after strict orders from their parents not to). Peter has never been his father’s favorite. He is awkward, his limbs don’t work quite right, but he’s a good kid yearning for any response from his dad other than shame. Peter runs when his parents find his sister’s body on the sand. He just knows that he is to blame and his father will never forgive him.
Jump to the present mid-2020s in the capital of Sofia, where we meet a young priest named Paul (Alexander Kanev). Paul’s dear sister is dying of cancer. Despite the fact that he is a man of God and tells others to pray in times of despair, he seems doubtful that God is actually listening to his own pleas. His sister Nikolina (Irena Miliankova) is wasting away despite the efforts of doctors, and perhaps more baffling to Paul, despite his prayers. Paul is at a crisis of faith.
Don’t Close Your Eyes, the title literally referring to fighting the last moment of death but can also mean a spiritual call, is a drama of faith that jumps between the two characters and the two time periods. Peter, in the 1980s, seeks shelter at Bachkovo Monastery where the monks hide him despite knowing that soon the state police will one day arrive looking for the young man. While hiding, Peter shows a surprising affinity for learning the ways of the brotherhood. The monks, in turn, see that he perhaps has a direction connection to God. In the modern times, Paul seeks guidance from his own colleague Father Stefan (Krystjo Lafazanov, a warm presence), who tries to calm the increasingly distressed Paul as his sister wastes away. Meanwhile, Paul’s home life is a mess. His wife, watching their own children in addition to Paul’s sister’s kids, and his mom (Iren Krivoshieva), caretaker to Nikolina, see Paul distracted by his increasingly desperate hope for the impossible rather than being present for his sister.
This film is a beautiful travelogue for Bulgaria (a country I was lucky enough to visit last year!). The landscapes are lovely and the monastery seems like it has been preserved from a time centuries-past. (An intriguing contemporary touch, though, shows the monks speaking in code on the telephone to hide from the Communist regime that they are hiding a fugitive.) Modern Sofia is nicely represented, with one of the best sequences showing Paul visiting some of the country’s most famous cultural sites for prayer, like the Russian Church of St. Nicholas and the iconic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with its golden domes.
Unlike many Christian faith-based dramas produced for American audiences, Don’t Close Your Eyes is less treacly and more internal, opening its message for audiences that may not prescribe to the specific religion represented (in this case Orthodox Christianity). Instead it appeals to the universal human aspects of guilt, regret, and dealing with the loss of a loved one too soon. It is simply a movie about faith, and any audience can appreciate the message of hope.
