SXSW 2024: ‘The Black Sea’ Review
A fish-out-of-water story that touches briefly on the refugee experience while navigating the touchstones that invite human connection, The Black Sea walks a tense line between erupting in anguish and recognizing the potential for happiness. In its exploration of the ways cultures clash, Derrick B. Harden and Crystal Moselle’s film unearths the similarities that ultimately bring us all together. With its immersive cinematography and an endearing friendship at its center, The Black Sea sets itself within an idyllic seaside town while capturing the frustrations and obstacles overcome to recover a solid footing in life. It’s the romanticized idea of a fresh start in an unknown place that is brought down to earth through the reality that restricts our actions.
The Black Sea opens with a darkly comedic series of events that summons Khalid (Harden) from his dead-end job as a barista in Brooklyn to hopping on a flight to Sozopol, Bulgaria, to become a companion to a sugar mama - only to discover she has passed away before they’ve even met. The problem is that he spent all his money on a flight to Bulgaria, no one cares about his lucrative arrangement, and no one at home is willing to give him a break. While Sozopol serves as a beautiful tourist location along the Black Sea Coast, Khalid’s predicament finds him more preoccupied with securing enough cash to get home than being able to appreciate the gorgeous seaside town he’s stranded within.
Harden and Moselle’s film is often humorous while painting a detailed glimpse into prejudices and discriminatory behavior that complicates getting back on one’s feet. As Khalid moves from odd job to odd job, he is constantly inundated with subtle (and sometimes overt) acts of racism; his sugar mama agreement happens after she speaks to a fortune teller and is told she needs to find a Black man to prevent bad luck befalling her. Since Bulgaria’s population (and Europe as a whole) is predominantly white, Khalid is the first Black individual the Bulgarians in the film have seen. While funny at first, it gives way for the film to navigate an appreciation of different cultures but also highlights the way racism can paint actions.
Harden keeps the film far more jovial than it probably should be, given how much his life now depends on persistence and luck meeting halfway for his benefit. There’s always a feeling that the other shoe might drop at any point, especially with the undercurrent of racism, but Khalid only lets life get him down for a brief period of time. It’s endearing, even if it feels a tad too unrealistic, but Harden imbues Khalid with a sly mix of stubbornness and desperation that colors his upbeat demeanor with stakes. Surrounded by many people who question his circumstances, there’s an appreciation to be had for being able to keep your cool even when the world seems unable or unwilling to help you.
Fortunately, Khalid befriends Ina (Irmena Chichikova) - a travel agent operating out of a small hole-in-the-wall whose connections to people throughout Sozopol seem immeasurable. Every odd job that Khalid takes seems to have him cross paths with Ina, and the two form a bond that gives the film an added level of tension. Will Khalid resolve his predicament and leave Bulgaria the moment he can, or is his relationship with Ina strong enough to make him re-evaluate what his plans in life really are? Navigating that situation is a tricky endeavor, but The Black Sea does occasionally feel unaware of the relationship’s complexities regarding Khalid’s situation. They are two people in a state of limbo, but any interrogation of their relationship always seems to stem from sudden external conflict and not something organically festering beneath the waters.
It’s unsurprising that the elements that work best in The Black Sea are often found in interesting documentary subjects, which Moselle has plenty of experience in investigating. It’s the emphasis on community support and communal spaces that injects Moselle and Harden’s film with a vibrancy that touches on the way culture manifests in the oddest ways. The small interactions between residents and tourists of Sozopol and Khalid demonstrate the similarities between an endearing documentary subject and the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves. With a character suddenly thrust into a personal adversity that feels like a massive conflict for themselves, its simplistic narrative helps easily convey a hint of what it is like to be in a similar situation. While it is not a direct account of the refugee experience, it does touch on concepts that are considerably more global than its small-town setting would suggest.
There’s a lot to love about the time spent in Sozopol with Khalid and Ina as they navigate uncertainty within their own lives. The chemistry between the two creates an exciting energy that offsets the bleak circumstances that led Khalid to Bulgaria in the first place. With a very textured approach to its storytelling, every interaction feels crucial to keeping Khalid on an upward trajectory. The Black Sea may not have the most intricate of stories, but its initial set-up and eventual metamorphosis into a reflection on what matters in life most creates a warm, delightful atmosphere that celebrates the human spirit and the journey to discovering oneself.
The 2024 edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival takes place between March 8th and 16th in Austin, Texas. Find the full 2024 line-up here.
