The Town of Badante Women
Director Stephan Komandarev
Countries Bulgaria
Duration 70 min
Synopsis
A town without women. The men look after the children, cook, do the washing and… wait for money from their wives who work abroad. The Bulgarian town of Varshets is the site of a staggering social experiment. Many of its women work as “badante” in Italy, taking care of the old and the sick. The social structure of Varshets is changing and the transformations – some dramatic, others humorous – are everywhere: in the pubs, in the families, in the local brass band… And at the bus station, where once a year the women arrive for holidays. “The Town of Badante Women” is a film about the new realities in today’s Europe. It tells the story of a small town in northwestern Bulgaria transformed through the role its women play on the growing market for care giving services across the continent.
A town without women. The men look after the children, cook, do the washing and… wait for money from their wives who work abroad. The Bulgarian town of Varshets is the site of a staggering social experiment. Many of its women work as “badante” in Italy, taking care of the old and the sick. The social structure of Varshets is changing and the transformations – some dramatic, others humorous – are everywhere: in the pubs, in the families, in the local brass band… And at the bus station, where once a year the women arrive for holidays. “The Town of Badante Women” is a film about the new realities in today’s Europe. It tells the story of a small town in northwestern Bulgaria transformed through the role its women play on the growing market for care giving services across the continent.