Family Fortune, is an intimate portrait of a Bulgarian family the filmmakers own that tries to make a living in the midst of unemployment and difficult circumstances. The country is joining the European Union in the beginning of 2007 and many young people have moved abroad to find better jobs and opportunities. Hristov himself has lived in Finland for eight years but the main focus of the film is on his family and their life in their homeland. The father has just lost his job after 36 years and is trying to find a new one, which proves to be hard as well as the car equipment business his other son is trying to keep up. Hristovs first full-length documentary is beautifully photographed and the narrative has a peaceful and meditative rhythm. The relationships between the members of the three generations of the family are portrayed with warmth and emotion, but also with a clearing distance that allows the viewer to take notice of the bigger social issues and the scheme of things on a larger, national scale. In a way, the family forms a metaphor of the whole country and a life that is both stable and in active motion. As tradition, history and roots are constantly colliding with the future that is uncertain to everyone, the true fortune of the family is in their shared unity and love.
