Los novios búlgaros (2003)

Director:

Eloy de la Iglesia

Writers:

Fernando Guillén Cuervo (writer)
Antonio Hens (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

30 April 2003 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Beware of love in radioactive packages"

Plot:

A straight-laced Spanish man falls in love with a young foreigner. |

Plot Keywords:

Love | Spanish | Weightllifter | Radiation | Drag

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Fernando Guillén Cuervo	...	Daniel
Dritan Biba	...	Kyril
Pepón Nieto	...	Gildo
Roger Pera	...	Lawyer
Anita Sinkovic	...	Kalina
Fernando Albizu	...	Mogambo
Roman Luknár	...	Simeon (as Román Lucknar)
Simón Andreu	...	Padre de Daniel
Julia Martínez	...	Daniel's Mother
Gracia Olayo	...	Rosita
Emma Penella	...	Remedios
Aure Sánchez	...	Bambi
Shai Bercovich	...	Vladimir
Alberto Lozano	...	Taxista
Óscar Iniesta	...	Emil
Labinot Nuredini	...	Yordan
Isabel Ampudia	...	Hermana 1
Inés Sájara	...	Hermana 2
Alejandro Núñez	...	Kyril adolescente
Marin Dimitrov Yanev	...	Kyril's Father (as Yanev Marin Dimitrov)
David Pinilla	...	Tasador
Elena Konstantinova Raynova	...	Madre Kyril
Nikolay Maksimov Genchev	...	Kyril's cousin
Antonio Del Olmo	...	Marido 2
Alberto Vázquez	...	Marido 1
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alejandro Arroyo	...	(uncredited)
Julio Díez	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Eloy de la Iglesia

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fernando Guillén Cuervo		writer
Antonio Hens		writer
Eloy de la Iglesia		writer
Eduardo Mendicutti		novel

Produced by
Eduardo Campoy	....	producer
Borislav Chuchkov	....	executive producer
Jesús García Ciordia	....	producer (as Jesús G. Ciordia)
Dimitar Gochev	....	executive producer
Fernando Guillén Cuervo	....	producer
Oihana Olea	....	executive producer
Pedro Olea	....	producer
Mario Pedraza	....	delegate producer

Original Music by
Antonio Meliveo

Cinematography by
Néstor Calvo

Film Editing by
José Salcedo

Production Design by
Julio Torrecilla

Costume Design by
Pedro Moreno

Makeup Department
Fermín Galán	....	hair stylist
Jorge Hernández	....	makeup artist
Luis Jiménez	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Josep Amorós	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luis Cordero	....	assistant director
Andrés Curbelo	....	assistant director
F. Javier Soto	....	assistant director
Federico Untermann	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Aitor Berenguer	....	sound
José Antonio Bermúdez	....	sound mixer
Juan Dibarboure	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Carlos Martín	....	special effects
Pedro Moreno	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Helmuth Barnert	....	digital compositor (as Helmut Barnert)
Nacho Cepero	....	digital compositor
David Fernández Girón	....	cgi operator
Noelia Gorrón	....	visual effects producer
Gonzalo Moure	....	digital compositor
Alfonso Nieto	....	visual effects supervisor
Marcos Onaindia	....	digital compositor
Silvia Torralba	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Eugenio Jiménez	....	stunts
Miguel Pedregosa	....	stunt coordinator
Manuel Valle	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Cuadrado	....	electrician
Óscar de Luna	....	electrician
Álvaro Gutiérrez	....	assistant camera
Juanjo Sánchez	....	steadicam operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Javier Aranda	....	costume assistant (as Francisco Javier Aranda)
Elena Gómez	....	costume assistant (as Elena Picaza)

Editorial Department
Manolo Laguna	....	assistant editor (as Manuel Laguna)

Other crew
Mercedes Andrino	....	production coordinator
Yuyi Beringola	....	script supervisor
Olga Blázquez	....	production secretary
David Chagoyen	....	production assistant
Bernardo Crespo	....	production administrator
Nerea La Cruz	....	production assistant
Elena Llaneza	....	production accountant
Javier Martínez Calvo	....	title designer
Pedro Ruigómez	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Altube Filmeak S.L.
• Conexión Sur
• Creativos Asociados de Radio y Televisión (CARTEL)
• Televisión Española (TVE)

Distributors

• Creativos Asociados de Radio y Televisión (CARTEL) (2003) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Laurenfilm (2003) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• TLA Releasing (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Homescreen (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Optimale (2004) (France) (DVD)
• UAP Video GmbH (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinetel  electrical equipment
• Cámara Rent  camera equipment

Also Known As:

Bulgarian Lovers (International: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic nudity, strong sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

Germany:101 min (Berlin Film Festival) | USA:101 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish | Bulgarian | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Spain:13 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Altube Filmeak S.L.

Quotes:

Daniel: I'd give my life for you.
Kyril: I'd give your life for me too.

Funny and poignant

The film is funny because it's true; this is very much how these relationships work. I read most of the other comments about this film and what I saw was just sour comments coming from people who most likely have got no idea about how these things go. I've seen things like this happen around me in Istanbul over and over again between foreigners and poor Kurds who are simply looking for a way out of their poverty and who would do ANYTHING to get a residency for the EU or US.

What really horrified me was the dismissal of the 'Bulgarian' acts in the film because they are actually very important. They show us how Daniel has gotten himself in an emotional pit where he accepts that his 'lover' has a wife and a life of which he is no part. He even goes as far as rejecting the nephew of Kyril, who is offered to him on a platter and who very obviously sexually arouses him, because he's committed to a man who only sees him as a convenience.