Written by the poet Blaga Dimitrova based on one of her prose stories, Side Track explores the contradictory inner life of the politically energetic postwar generation, whose lives were devoted to rebuilding Bulgarian society from the ashes of war and fascism, and for whom love was considered a diversion or side track. The film is perhaps reminiscent of Antonioni in its arid mood, and of Resnais in its elliptical examination of the past through the eyes of the present; but its concerns are particular to this Bulgarian generation, older in 1967 and wondering if it is wiser. Boyan and Neda were lovers during this period; seventeen years later, they meet by accident and discuss their affair with nostalgia for the love, and regret for the false sophistication that separated them from each other and their own feelings. The elegant chamber piece is highly regarded for the fine acting performances by Nevena Kokanova and Ivan Andonov, and for a rare irony in its approach to the revolutionary spirit of the immediate postwar years. Co-director and cinematographer Todor Stoyanov is known for his cinematography on The Peach Thief (October 3).