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Mirage

Play trailer Poster for Mirage 2004 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In a Macedonian town, a schoolboy (Marko Kovacevic) named Marko finds refuge from a terrible home life and attacks from bullies by keeping a low profile and hanging around the railyard. A teacher (Mustafa Nadarevic) discovers Marko's hidden talent for poetry and encourages him to enter a contest, but then a soldier (Nikola Djuricko) arrives on the scene and teaches him a more violent set of skills.

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Frank Scheck Hollywood Reporter Ristovski's debut feature is unremittingly grim and powerful. May 25, 2006 Full Review Andrew Sarris Observer It is not often that one is confronted with a cinematic social statement so nihilistic and so devoid of hope -- not merely for an individual, but for the whole world around him. Apr 5, 2006 Full Review Kyle Smith New York Post Drab, despairing and pointless. Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 17, 2006 Full Review Ken Fox TV Guide A tense, gripping drama that urges Macedonians to reject the empty platitudes and conflicts of the past for a bold new future vision, and succeeds showing how false hope can indeed be the opiate that keeps people from taking direct action. Rated: 3/4 Mar 17, 2006 Full Review Donald J. Levit ReelTalk Movie Reviews The social situation at the heart of 'Mirage/Iluzija' is so fraught with political implication that the film hits on both levels. Mar 12, 2006 Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat Disturbing and powerful. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 6, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (28) audience reviews
david l Mirage (Iluzija) is a very problematic film. It has its strengths – the ending is memorable, Vlado Jovanovski is excellent in the main role and Nikola Djuricko's Paris presents the most interesting and ambiguous section of an otherwise pretty straightforward narrative. My main issue here is that the story is highly implausible in its overly tragic chain of events and the director's obvious hatred for his own country is excessive and very much one-sided. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Wow. What a very powerful movie. The subject matter of bullying is more prevalent today, than what it was when the movie was made. This would be a great movie to remake today, in English. I think it would be a huge hit. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member 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, this film succeeds describing a story about social life of pre-adolescent ; broken home, bullying, friendless, trust-crisis and hope. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Set in Macedonia, a boy constantly bullied in school and in his own home dreams of leaving fatherland. The film's intensity gets lost in an unstoppable wave of improbability and drab fake realism. It also drags and feels soulless. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Tragically Brilliant Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member So depressing and hopeless, Mirage is strictly set on the saddening truth of the European suburbs and the life that seems to be absent in the new generation. Heartbreaking and moody. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Mirage

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a Macedonian town, a schoolboy (Marko Kovacevic) named Marko finds refuge from a terrible home life and attacks from bullies by keeping a low profile and hanging around the railyard. A teacher (Mustafa Nadarevic) discovers Marko's hidden talent for poetry and encourages him to enter a contest, but then a soldier (Nikola Djuricko) arrives on the scene and teaches him a more violent set of skills.
Director
Svetozar Ristovski
Producer
Svetozar Ristovski
Screenwriter
Svetozar Ristovski, Grace Lea Troje
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Macedonian
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.5K
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital