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MY MATE MANCHESTER UNITED

By Stefan VALDOBREV

BULGARIAN NATIONAL FILM CENTER - as FIN

Documentary - Completed 2011

Following the quest of a man`s awkward dream to be named after his favourite football club, the film brings us close to a Bulgarian memorable mates, creates a moving portrait of contemporary Bulgaria with its confused and disappointed people that they migrate to their own substitute reality.

- Year of production
- 2011
- Genres
- Documentary
- Countries
- BULGARIA
- Languages
- BULGARIAN
- Duration
- 57 mn
- Director(s)
- Stefan VALDOBREV
- Writer(s)
- Stefan VALDOBREV
- Producer(s)
- Stefan VALDOBREV (Across Works), Dragomir KERANOV (Across Works), Zornitsa POPOVA (Vreme Film Studio)
- Synopsis
- A single 48-year-old man from a small town on the bank of the river Danube lives alone with his mother and his cat called Beckham. The only thing of meaning in his life is his love for a football club. He is one of the millions who become significant through the successes of their idols. But there's something special about him: his name.
  In 1999 Manchester United are playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League final and are losing 1:0 in the 89th minute. On the verge of despair, this passionate Bulgarian fan declares that if his team somehow manage to win the match, he will change his name to Manchester United.
  In the next two minutes the "red devils" do the impossible, scoring two goals to win the trophy, and that's how Marin Zdravkov Levidzhov starts his ten-year odyssey through court, churches and authorities, hoping that one day he will wake up as Manchester United Zdravkov Levidzhov.
  Following the quest of a man's awkward dream to be named after his favourite football club, the film director, Stefan Valdobrev, brings us close to a Bulgarian builder and his memorable mates, and creates a moving portrait of contemporary Bulgaria with its bewildered and confused people, so disappointed by the life in the country that they migrate to their own substitute reality.
  The journey starts in Svishtov, tells the story of the protagonist's struggle with the legal system, leads us all the way to Old Trafford Stadium, where he meets his idol, the Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, and ends up back home, raising questions about identity, about who we are and who we want to be.