08/07/2022 - Ilian Metev, Ivan Chertov and Zlatina Teneva's film documents the COVID-19 situation in the hospital of a small Bulgarian town with warmth and a real human connection

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced, seen and heard many stories about the dire state of hospitals in less developed regions of the world. In A Provincial Hospital [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ilian Metev, Ivan Chertov a…
film profile], Bulgarian co-directors Ilian Metev (Sofia's Last Ambulance [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Ivan Chertov (DoP on February [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and Zlatina Teneva could therefore hardly provide anything factually new. However, the documentary, which has just world-premiered in Karlovy Vary's competition, is a profound, humane and surprisingly refreshing observation of human behaviour and character in a life-threatening situation, with a characteristically Balkan twist.

The hospital serves the mountain town of Kyustendil, with a population of about 50,000. It has been hit hard by the coronavirus, and the co-directors follow Dr Evgeni Popov and his small team. A tall, silver-haired man with a square face, Popov maintains his air of distinguished authority even when exhausted and exasperated. As the film progresses, we realise that everyone has respect for him, but this is not only because of his skill, or the fact that he is the head doctor, but also thanks to his accessibility and his personal approach to patients.

The biggest fear that hovers over them like a heavy cloud is going to the ICU, because no one comes out of it alive. One of them is an emotional old lady who praises the doctor to heaven for saving her life – and then, when told she will be let out, jubilantly laughs, only for that laughter to turn to tears. Another is a former ping-pong champion, still quite athletic, who ends up in the room with a childhood friend – not unusual for a small town. And the third one whom the filmmakers focus on is a strong 32-year-old man who refuses oxygen and demands to go home while his oxygen saturation is classed as critical. So Dr Popov has to call his family and threaten him with handcuffs.

This segment follows the only death shown in the film, even though many happen off screen. After the body has been taken out of the room, the camera stays with a nurse as she quietly removes her protective equipment and cleans her face shield. The constant noise and murmur slowly fade out, effectively allowing the viewer to relate to her state of mind.

It is the only moment of silence in the doc, which does not have to go out of its way to create drama. Rather, the co-directors observe, with the camera most often in static mode, whether hand-held or on a tripod, except when a crisis occurs. In a couple of such cases, the cinematographer has to quickly move out of the way but keeps filming, even if it means shooting the ceiling or the wall.

The most dominant aspect of the documentary is that of mental, psychological and emotional resilience. The typical Balkan folksy joviality, practically unavoidable in hospitals and other state-run institutions, is amplified here with hefty doses of black humour. There is a strong feeling that this is the only defence mechanism that both patients and staff have against despair.

The unrestricted access that the co-directors had enabled them to manoeuvre into the tight spaces of the under-equipped and underfunded hospital and, over the course of 70 days of filming, get emotionally close to the protagonists. In several instances, they are addressed directly and even jump in to help. This warmth and a real human connection translate to the screen, and despite the inevitably tragic events of the film, the viewer is left with a feeling of hope.

A Provincial Hospital is a co-production between Bulgaria's Agitprop and Chaconna Films, and Germany's Sutor Kolonko.