IN THE HEART OF THE MACHINE: Pigeons Need Love Too!

IN THE HEART OF THE MACHINE (Blu-ray)

2021 / 115 min

From Rising Sun Media

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😸

As the purveyor of this site, I frequently receive discs of movies that I’ve never heard of. More often than not, it turns out there’s a good reason for that. But every now and then, I’m completely blindsided by something wonderful. In the Heart of the Machine is one of those, and so far, it’s the best movie I’ve had the pleasure to review this year. I’m also pretty sure it’s the first Bulgarian movie I’ve ever seen.

The deceptively simple story takes place in a maximum security prison. Bohemy (Alexander Sano) is an inmate entrusted by the warden to assemble a crew to increase production in the machine shop. They’re supervised by vicious guard Captain Verkilsky (Julian Vergov) and trainee Private Kovachky (Vladimir Zombori). Before starting work, however, the prison’s most feared inmate, a hulking double-murderer known as “The Cleaver” (Igor Angelov), refuses to turn on his lathe because there’s a pigeon trapped inside.

Verkilsky orders him to turn the machine on and go to work, but instead, The Cleaver grabs Kovachky and threatens to kill him unless they free the pigeon first. That’s easier said than done, since one can’t simply open the lathe or disassemble it like a lawnmower engine. Meanwhile, the most unruly of the inmates, “The Needle” (Hristo Petkov), manages to disarm and restrain Verkilsky (enjoying a little payback by beating him multiple times). Bohemy tries to reason with The Cleaver (real name, Satura) that he’s making their situation worse, but Satura is adamant about his single demand.

Bohemy forgets why he came into the room.

This turns into a standoff between the crew and guards assembled outside the shop. The only way to end the situation is to free the bird before the guards force their way in. But here’s where In the Heart of the Machine turns into something much different than just another prison picture. They become personally invested in rescuing the pigeon as a form of redemption, or has Satura sees it, to remember what it’s like to “be human,” however briefly. Even The Needle, who initially doesn’t give a shit about the bird, undergoes a remarkable transformation.

However, it’s Satura and Bohemy (who also narrates) that are the heart of the film, especially when their pasts are revealed and it’s obvious \saving the bird becomes more important to them than surviving the standoff. Their increasing desperation is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, laying the groundwork for a memorable, emotionally-charged climax and resolution.

In the Heart of the Machine achieves a tone similar to The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile…often harrowing and brutal, but ultimately life-affirming & inspirational, with characters we grow to love. Fans of either of those films owe it to themselves to check this one out. I can't imagine them being disappointed.