The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner is a movie by Stephan Komandarev, starring Miki Manojlovic and Carlo Ljubek. It is based on the novel by Bulgarian-German author Ilija Trojanow.

Plot:
Sashko (Carlo Ljubek) and his parents have fled Bulgaria and ended up in Germany. The movie starts when, several years later, they get into a car accident. The parents die and Sashko is stranded without any memory. His grandfather Bai Dan (Miki Manojlovic) comes to Germany to help him remember his life. This ultimately leads to them cycling on a tandem through Europe and playing a whole lot of backgammon.

The World… is a wonderful movie: sweet and touching, with perfect performances and a very nice metaphor: backgammon [If only I understood this game… I tried once I failed pathetically]. It’s a sensibly and beautifully shot (except for the one sex scene) and generally very recommended.

Unfortunately, I didn’t read the book so I can’t say anything about the movie as an adaptation of it but I can say that the movie makes me want to read the book. If they’re anything alike, the book is as much a keeper as the movie.

It tackles big topics with ease – the communist regime in Bulgaria, the fugitives, the question of a displaced person’s roots… And it does so sensibly, realistically and without judgment.

Even though amnesia is probably the most overused plot device ever, the set-up her is so nice that I didn’t mind: It is wonderful to discover Sashko’s past together with Sashko and Bai Dan and to witness Sashko’s discovery which is intertwined with a new sense of direction for him.

Miki Manojlovic and Carlo Ljubek have a wonderful chemistry together and their acting is wonderful.

The only thing I have to critisise is the only sex scene: It is a little clichéd, full of trembling hands and romance and such. It felt a little over the top.

But summarising, it’s a movie that leaves you with a smile on your face and a wonderful feeling in your heart. Definitely recommended.