This dark and evocative thriller is set against a backdrop of Europe in transition, where the East meets the West and where poverty clashes with affluence. Daniel is a single gay man living in Madrid. He is a successful lawyer and consult­ ant who spends his hours outside of work with a group of close friends, cruising the streets of the city's gay quarter at night picking up men. Daniel's life takes a dramatic turn one evening after he meets Kyril, a handsome Bulgarian who he brings home for an unexpectedly long stay. Kyril soon moves into his apartment, and Daniel finds himself behaving in surprising ways to sup­ port his lover's adjustment to a new home coun­try such as arranging for Kyril's girlfriend, Kalina, to come and live with them in Madrid and becoming involved in Mafia-related criminal activities.

Spanish director Eloy de la Iglesia (El diputado) has spent his life creating films that address class relations and social oppression. Bulgarian Lovers is a fascinating portrait of an obsessive relationship and the dangerous choices made when allowing passion to overrule the senses. With its dark and evocative cine­matography and its effective portrayal of the criminal underworld, Bulgarian Lovers is essentially film noir. The stunning opening cred­its alone are as spellbinding as the movie itself­ a film that takes us to the brink of a perilous and frightening precipice.