GLORY

Every honest man lives to regret it. Such a man is Tzanko, a shy and stuttering railway linesman in Bulgaria. When he finds a huge pile of cash on the tracks, he turns it in and is instantly proclaimed a hero. Julie, a ruthless PR director for the Transport Ministry, seizes this chance to deflect attention from a brewing scandal the Ministry is involved in. She unleashes a media circus around the awkward and puzzled man. At a quickly staged awards ceremony, Tzanko is given a cheap new watch by the Minster while his old one is unceremoniously removed by Julie. This watch is a cherished gift from Tzanko’s father, a precise timepiece he calls The Glory. Julie misplaces it and Tzanko desperately wants it back. His efforts meet a wall of evasion and derision, as well as a crusading anti-government journalist who also sees Tzanko as a useful tool. With wry observation and deadpan humor, GLORY follows a decent man walking into the gears of an absurd machine. (In Bulgarian with subtitles) —C.R.