Very powerful movie and quite depressive at times. Great story line and amazing acting. I have to praise mostly Marko Kovacevic he was amazing in this movie. If it is be possible I would give him Oscar for his performance.Heartbreaking story about incredible talented and intelligent boy from very poor and dysfunctional family. He is bullied, beaten, insulted without any support and his life is a downright spiral to tragedy.I did also like the performance of Nikola Djuricko.Who was brilliant as Paris. Overall excellent movie.And great work from Macedonian film makers. Well done!

One of the most amazing films I have ever seen in my life. I have not been so in tune with a film in a very long time. Every aspect of this film screams 'well-done.' The movie pulsates, after the train scene its just spectacular. Marko Kovacevic is sensational, he deserved to be recognized for a youth acting award. He is simply amazing on screen and not since young Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, have we seen such a genuine, in your face work of cinematic genius.Stunningly done, the cinematography is professional and tangible. The on screen chemistry between all characters is very well directed. kudos to Macedonia.

'You never get out of the sewer' is the sad summary toward the end of this remarkable film from Macedonia. Director Svetozar Ristovski co-wrote this screenplay with Grace Lea Troje, a story of the struggle of youths in a country devastated with poverty and corruption - a place without hope. The message is grim, the story is brutal, but the impact is stunning.Marko (twelve-year old Marko Kovacevic in a brilliant debut) lives with his abusive, alcoholic father Lazo (Vlado Jovanovski) whose only work other than drinking is bingo games and who is in defiance of the American occupation of Macedonia; his mute and terrified mother Angja (Elena Mosevska) who remains a pathetic victim of abuse; and his trashy, angry, abusive sister Fanny (Slavica Manaskova) - all of whom hate each other and fill their hovel along the railroad tracks with cruelty. Marko happens to be a fine student who writes poetry and is encouraged by his Bosnian Professor (Mustafa Nadarevic) to write a poem for a competition that would reward him with a trip to Paris. Marko's schoolmates are disgusting thugs who beat him at every provocation: the Professor, fighting his own demons, does little to control his outrageous classroom.Marko escapes his ugly household by finding a spot on a deserted train where he can be alone and it is here that the movie takes on magic. Marko 'creates' a friend named 'Paris' (Nikola Djuricko) who gives him hope that Marko can come with him as he leaves the little cruel village. Paris teaches him to defend himself and to support himself through stealing and shoplifting, all with the goal of escaping from Macedonia. As Marko slips down the path of crime his teacher tries in vain to feed Marko's hope of writing his way to Paris, but when the gang of boys force Marko to the limit, Marko's new self challenges them, establishing his independence. The two beacons of Hope for Marko (Professor and Paris) both fade and the ending of the film comes as a shocking surprise, yet one that mirrors Nietzsche's astute quotation.This is a grim film to watch, overflowing with brutality of both the physical and the mental types, but the journey is worth it due to the overwhelmingly fine performance by Marko Kovacevic, a lad with the same degree of quiet facial expressiveness and acting skill as that of such greats as Giulietta Masina. The gritting, well-composed cinematography is by Vladimir Samoilovski and the haunting musical score is by Klaus Hundsbichler (with a little help from Eric Satie!). This is one of those films that is disturbing in the best sense of the word: it makes us think beyond our safe borders and contemplate the plight of the oppressed, both children and adults, in a country torn by recurring violence. In Macedonian and Bosnian with English subtitles. Recommended. Grady Harp

"Mirage" focuses on the experience of a 12-year-old boy living in contemporary Macedonia. This film shows the extraordinary vulnerability of boys -- those beings who will become "our men" -- to the savagery of abuse and hypocrisy, at home and at school, and in society. All of these assaults are, like war itself, direct attacks on all children, of course, but especially on boys -- something we are just beginning to wake up to understanding. Here we see all the promise and hope and persistence that boys offer freely and without strings attached being battered, humiliated and finally overwhelmed by meanness born of resentment, cowardice where there should be tender, savvy guidance, and neglect by distracted, emotionally (and economically) impoverished parents. Macedonia, yes, -- but the setting could have been any neighborhood in the United States that is clouded by poverty. The lead is a awesome performance -- just heartbreaking -- by Marko Kovacevic. We watch this this boy, this surprise in the midst of banality and misery that every boy springs on us and which should delight us and perhaps could save us -- we watch him methodically terrorized and hurt. We see his hope and optimism annihilated. At first, sheer bewilderment at unremitting harshness forces his head to hang low -- again and again -- until, finally, it rears up after "just too much" and he looks at us, and acts. By then he is an early version of Paris (played by Nikola Djuricko), the man he will become, who was able just barely to promise Marko a way out -- but then lets him down. For starters, let this film be seen by every school teacher in the United States, then every father, and if the schools themselves can find the courage, by every kid in junior and senior high school in America.