Women Do Cry

They love each other, and they love to challenge each other: in ›Women Do Cry‹, five women fight each other before taking on the Bulgarian patriarchy.

Five sisters from two different generations are constantly bickering. Vesela Kazakova’s and Mina Mileva’s latest film is an ensemble piece. Bodies are squeezed into narrow spaces and tight shots, encroaching on each other. But the real source of the stress these women are under is almost never seen: namely, men. Sonja (Maria Bakalova in ›Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm‹) has been infected with AIDS by her lover. Veronica (Bilyana Kazakova) and her baby are ignored by the baby’s father. These are just two examples that the film presents as representative of a Bulgarian society permeated by toxic masculinity. Kazakova and Mileva take strong swipes at chauvinistic double standards and reactionary ideas of family structures. Yet they maintain a wonderful balance between hysteria and humour – and an always empathetic view of their heroines, who can only rely on each other to escape from seemingly hopeless situations.

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