HIDDEN IN THE DARK

Feature,

Bulgaria

2025

Runtime, min

101

Maya, a young orphan with the power to perceive distant emotions and events, has been aiding the Slovakian police in finding missing people from a remote hospital. Devastated by failing to save a kidnapped girl found murdered, Maya is sent to an experimental center. There, she meets Gabriel, a psychiatrist who helps her escape, suspecting the center’s sinister intentions. They hide in an old house where Maya senses another girl’s presence. Despite Gabriel’s doubts, Maya uncovers the girl, Kety’s, tragic past. As a romantic bond grows between Maya and Gabriel, they’re hunted by the center’s operatives, part of an American multinational with hidden agendas. Maya confronts these pursuers, aided by Kety’s spirit, but at a great personal cost.

Director:

Kristian Gatto

Selections and Awards:

REVIEWS:

The film keeps you on edge all the time. I could feel reality slipping as Maya’s mind collapses under the weight of her own empathy. It has something of a European noir vibe: cold, beautiful hopelessness.

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I think Maya represents everyone who’s ever felt they were losing control over the line between seeing and feeling. A spot-on exploration of perception.

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The film feels shot somewhere between a dream and a memory. The slow rhythm, muted colors, it all creates the sense of an endless dream you can’t wake up from.

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It’s rare for a psychological thriller to give me chills without blood or jump scares. This one did. Just pure, sticky unease.

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The structure is precise: each scene amplifies the previous uncertainty. This is a director who understands the psychology of fear, not just the genre.

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For me, this is a story about inner darkness. Not demons, but guilt, memory, and the fear of being oneself. The real horror isn’t what Maya sees, it’s recognizing ourselves in her fear.

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God, I literally jumped at every sound. And that house felt alive! I caught myself holding my breath the whole time.

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