In Hell With Ivo

Bluesky

Queer Bulgarian performance artist and singer-songwriter Ivo Dimchev is a bold and engaging presence who has turned being provocative into an art form, something aptly demonstrated near the start of Kristina Nikolova’s entertaining documentary when he notes: “I’m sure this question is not going to be in the documentary because the director is a little conservative.” What that question is, it would be wrong to reveal here but, suffice to say, the Bulgarian documentarian isn’t scared to show it, although by the end of her film, you wonder whether she isn’t a little too willing to follow Dimchev’s directions rather than to interrogate him on her own terms.

Dimchev’s key selling point to an international audience has been his voice, which has an ethereal high vibrato-laden purity and an incredible range that soars with ease from baritone to soprano and everything in between. You can hear some of his work here but if you imagine something hovering between the magnetism of Freddie Mercury and the vocal aspect of Antony and the Johnsons’ ex-lead singer Anohni you’ll be in the right area. He's likely to attract further fans as a result of this film, which has already played at DOK.fest München and Sarajevo.

During the Covid lockdown – and in typical defiance of it, given that he is HIV+ – Dimchev hatched a plan to play living room gigs for people in their own homes, notching up more than 400 of them in the end. These intimate performances form the backbone of a film that follows him from Bulgaria to the US, where his immediate ability to connect with people is evidenced. In return for the gigs, he likes to ask his audience a series of questions, many risque, including the repeated choice – would you rather be in Hell with Jesus or Heaven with Donald Trump?

In between gigs, Nikolova coaxes Dimchev to talk more about himself revealing darker elements from his childhood, although he and his parents appear to have a decent relationship in the present. He also outlines the perils of fame that has come complete with death threats. Most revealing are the moments when he seems to dial down his persona in order to connect with his young nephew. As a showcase for Dimchev’s talents, this is a success – although the sheer number of gigs represented here does mean the material feels a little ‘samey’ in places, something that would surely be anathema to Dimchev. On a biographical level it is less successful, partially due to Dimchev’s reticence but also due to Nikolova’s willingness to go where he leads her rather than interrogating his life more fully or at least offering more context in terms of his career to date.

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