The Black Sea

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Crystal Moselle directs. Jackson Hunt behind the camera. Charles Moselle scores. Anastas Petkov cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Bulgarian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 2 years ago.
• 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Bulgarian.
• 3Directed by Crystal Moselle, shot by Jackson Hunt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Charles Moselle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Anastas Petkov shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Derrick B. Harden and Irmena Chichikova and Stoyo Mirkov carry the top of the cast.
• 7IMDB entry: tt30309913 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Jackson Hunt

Original score

Charles Moselle

Editing

Anastas Petkov

Production design

Severina Stoyanova

Sound

Coll Anderson

Runtime

93 min · 1h 33m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

The Black Sea (2024) ↗

Also by

Crystal Moselle

• 
  Untold: Caitlyn Jenner

  2022 · ★ 6.9
• 
  The Wolfpack

  2015 · ★ 6.8
• 
  Skate Kitchen

  2018 · ★ 6.7
• 
  Betty

  2020 · ★ 6.7
• 
  My Robot Sophia

  2022 · ★ 6.0
• 
  That One Day

  2016 · ★ 5.8

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Brent Marchant2024-11-10
  ★ 8/10

  Being a stranger in a strange land can be an uncomfortable, exasperating experience. At the same time, though, it can also be just what one needs, especially for those seeking to turn their lives around. Such is the case with Khalid (actor-director Derrick B. Harden), a genial, ambitious, opportunistic African-American dreamer from Brooklyn who, sadly, just doesn’t seem to be able to get his act together. But, when he’s offered a lucrative new opportunity – one he finds on Facebook of all places – to relocate to Sozopol, a small Bulgarian resort town on the Black Sea coast, to become the “companion” of a woman in desperate “need” of finding a Black man (on the advice of a fortune teller), he jumps at the chance. There’s just one hitch – hours before his arrival, she dies, thereby stranding him without his payment and the means to return home. Those circumstances are further complicated when his passport is stolen, leaving him stuck and unable to book a flight back to the US. He thus reluctantly becomes reconciled to the idea of having to stay put for a while as he attempts to sort out his circumstances. However, the more time he spends in his unexpected new home, the more he finds himself easily fitting in and making friends with the locals, especially Ina (Irmena Chichikova), the owner of a travel agency and his eventual business partner in a popular café/night spot. And, except for some menacing dealings with a powerful local godfather (Stoyo Mirkov) who’s accustomed to being the community’s top dog (and resents being upstaged by the popular new arrival), things generally go well for the unwitting transplant. But will they stay that way? Directors Harden and Crystal Moselle have put together a real charmer in this warm, funny comedy-drama chronicling the evolution of an infectiously likable character beset with a seemingly impossible challenge but who aggressively hustles to successfully make lemonade out of the big bushel of lemons that’s been handed him. The story’s focus on a hapless but amiable everyman who’s unceremoniously marooned in a wholly unfamiliar setting (one that most American viewers are also likely unfamiliar with) in which he doesn’t speak the language gives this film a distinctive character all its own, a refreshing development in light of the current sagging state of the domestic movie industry. Despite some occasional narrative meandering, this offering is otherwise a real gem, a heartwarming comedy in which one can’t help but pull for the underdog, no matter how much he might slip up or inadvertently get in his own way. “The Black Sea” is indeed a rare find, one that now genuinely deserves to have an audience find it.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Give Thanks

  US

• 

  Kotva Films

  US

• 

  The Launch Company

  US

Key crew

• ProducerCrystal Moselle
• Executive ProducerAndrea Leibof
• ProducerIzabella Tzenkova
• EditorAnastas Petkov
• Consulting EditorIan Olds
• Consulting EditorEnat Sidi
• Executive ProducerTed Hope
• Executive ProducerJonas Carpignano
• Executive ProducerRobina Riccitiello
• Executive ProducerJosh Peters
• Executive ProducerDana Høegh
• Executive ProducerTed Wright
• Executive ProducerCameron Brodie
• Co-ProducerBen Snyder
• Co-ProducerTsveta Dimova
• Music SupervisorPhil Canning
• CastingIzabella Tzenkova
• CastingCrystal Moselle
• CastingNina Boyanova
• SongsDerrick B. Harden
• Second Unit Director of PhotographyAlexander Stanishev
• Production DesignSeverina Stoyanova
• Art DirectionBorislav Milotinov
• Set DecorationBorislav Milotinov

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2024-03-09· South by Southwest Film & TV Festival
• Premiere2024-10-21· Philadelphia Film Festival
• Premiere2024-05-16· Seattle International Film Festival
• Premiere2024-09-22· Nashville Film Festival
• Premiere2024-10-04· New/Next Film Festival
• Premiere2024-10-05· Mill Valley Film Festival
• Premiere2024-10-14· Heartland International Film Festival
• Premiere2024-10-18· Middleburg Film Festival
• Premiere2024-10-20· New Hampshire Film Festival / San Diego International Film Festival
• Premiere2024-11-02· Virginia Film Festival