- 2006
- Picture This! Entertainment
- 1 h 47 m
SummaryTortured by a tumultuous home life and school bullies, young Marko finds hope when his teacher encourages him to enter a poetry competition in Paris. But when the teacher cowers before the same bullies and eventually dashes the boy's hopes and dreams, Marko seeks guidance from another role model: a mercenary who tells him in life one must "either...
Directed By:Svetozar Ristovski
Written By:Svetozar Ristovski, Grace Lea Troje
Iluzija
Metascore
Generally Favorable
61
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
My Score
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
61
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
13% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
80
Superbly modulated yet unrelentingly grim, Mirage builds upon a remarkable performance from young Macedonian newcomer Marko Kovacevic to tell the tragic tale of a talented schoolboy driven to violence through neglect and manipulation.
75
You just know that any film that opens with Nietzsche's aphorism about hope being an evil that only prolongs the torments of man isn't going to a comedy.
70
Marko's story is far from novel, but its wicked evocation of hopelessness transcends any familiarities.
By Peter L'Official
FULL REVIEW 63
Ristovski needs us to feel his nation's torment, and he succeeds.
60
Mr. Ristovski's story (written with Grace Lea Troje) feels a bit underdeveloped, partly because he uses too many lingering, silent shots of Marko and doesn't give the boy much of a voice.
By Neil Genzlinger
FULL REVIEW 50
Ristovski wants the plight of a bullied moppet to serve as a sweeping metaphor for Macedonian struggle, but his miserablist excesses have the effect of converting realism into a graphic cartoon.
38
Drab, despairing and pointless.
By Kyle Smith
FULL REVIEW User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
50% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jun 17, 2014
10
Come from Macedonia, not popular place for film, "Iluzija" or represented in English "Mirage", teach filmmaker how to create a powerful heartbreaking drama without any crying scene inside. Strong from beginning until final scene succeeds describing a story about social life of pre-adolescent ; broken home, bullying, friendless, trust-crisis and hope.
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Awards
Avanca Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Anchorage International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
