Mirage

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Mirage

2004

1h 48m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

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.

Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

Ristovski's debut feature is unremittingly grim and powerful.

May 25, 2006

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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

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

Drab, despairing and pointless.

Rated: 1.5/4

Mar 17, 2006

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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

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Phil Hall

Film Threat

Disturbing and powerful.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 6, 2006

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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

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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

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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

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Audience Member

Tragically Brilliant

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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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

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Svetozar Ristovski

Director

Mustafa Nadarevic

Teacher

Vlado Jovanovski

Lazo

Nikola Đuričko

Paris

Dejan Acimovic

Blasko

Marko Kovacevic

Marko

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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