Viktoria

Viktoria is born – without an umbilical cord – against the will of her mother, who never wanted to give birth in communist Bulgaria. After having this baby that she tried to abort, her lifelong dream of fleeing to the West can hardly come true.
On top of that, Viktoria becomes a symbol of the Communist regime her mother hates so badly. Thanks to her unusual physique, the girl is proclaimed ‘baby of the future’ and is taken to live in socialist luxury. Until one day the Eastern Bloc falls apart, confronting mother and daughter with each other again.
The opening credits say that this film, which will shortly turn into an incredible epic tale, even a dark fairy tale, is based on a true story. Indeed, it works both ways. Director Maya Vitkova follows the strong line of new Romanian cinema, particularly its deconstruction of the Socialist past. On the other hand, she mixes this rigorous tradition with unforced magic realism, if not surrealism, allowing the bleak realities of late Socialism to be visually rich and filled with graphic symbols.
Linking the intimate history of a dysfunctional family to the grand history of Eastern Europe, the film visualizes the veritable ‘blood ties’ between the personal and the impersonal, between homeland and desolation, revolution and alienation.