The Glass River (2010) by Stanimir Trifonov is one of the new Bulgarian films appearing at the 14th Sofia International Film Festival.  The film is adapted from the book written by Emil Andreev, which won the novel of the year award in 2005 from the Vik Foundation in Bulgaria.  The Glass River is the story of a Bulgarian woman living in France who is sent back to Bulgaria by her father so that she can unravel a religious mystery that is connected to her family bloodline.  On her trip she encounters a priest with a dark past and a collector who is after a religious artifact that is related to her quest.  The whole story plays as a sort of Bulgarian DaVinci Code, without the action.

Trifonov delivers a film lacking in emotional punch.  While it is a well-mounted production, one never feels any urgency either in the plot or in the film form.  The opening image of the film is grainy 16mm footage of a naked woman swimming in a  river, free and happy.  This woman is eventually revealed to be the priest’s wife, who was killed in a tragic accident.  Seeing her floating in the water in a nondescript space, one gets the feeling that she is in another world.  This mysterious opening shot creates intrigue and a beauty that the film never follows up on and unfortunately, it is one of the few things of interest in The Glass River.