If we apperceive the main idea of the literary work “The World as Will and Representation” by the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, we will understand that these two concepts are the basis of the essence of the human race, its insatiable desire and natural aspiration for life. Therefore, any obstacle that an individual faces can be overcome if there is a motive and desire, of course. Otherwise, it sinks into absurdity and complete meaninglessness arises. Often, a person needs a boost to be more productive, to change the environment around him and become more important than he used to be. It is necessary for a person to notice and not to accept the injustice prevailing around him, and sometimes for this he needs someone to open his eyes.
Giorgi Tavartkiladze’s student film, “Turn on the Taps” (2012), is an attempt to expand on this topic. Although the author certainly does not lack creativity, the work is not what such a complex and ideologically difficult issue requires due to certain factors.
The film tells the story of a terrorist named Jango (Beka Kavtaradze) and the hostages he takes in the restroom of a shopping center and we observe these events from the perspective of one of them (namely, according to the story he tells). As the plot develops, the viewer gradually learns the motives and goals of the antagonist, what the real essence of all this is and that this is not at all a banal way of extorting money or something like that but a performance to introduce and spread a kind of philosophical idea, namely, the necessity of giving meaning to a society based on a system of government. The criminal wants to cure the prisoners of the disease called meaninglessness and show them that overcoming any obstacle requires action and understanding the meaning of one's own existence.
Despite an interesting and intriguing introduction, the director still failed to get down to the task and get the kind of film he had imagined. There are several reasons for this, which call into question the value of the work as a work of art. First of all, the actors' ability to transform should be emphasized. In most cases, the quality does not meet the standards. It seems that the actors themselves do not believe in their characters’ reality, and because of this, their performance is often either too emotional and theatrical or completely emotionless, fake and the connection between the viewer and the film is momentarily lost against this background. In any case, we are still not allowed to fully immerse ourselves in the atmosphere because, for the most part, the dialogues are so poor and banal that they deprive the plot of any realism and the subconscious automatically questions the reality of the events unfolding on the screen.
The work of the cameraman (Koba Shvelidze) is noteworthy. Although we will not encounter any special or unique shots in the film, the fact that the visual side, to some extent, fits the standards is already a plus for a student work. We have a lot of diversity: close-ups, medium-length shots, pleasant quality (at least for 2012), etc.
Despite the technical flaws, the main problem is still the director's hopeless attempt to create a film that the theme revealed in it required. The issue of being and existentialism, the acquisition of meaning in existence and the breaking of the meaninglessly closed circle are one of those eternal topics that humanity has been discussing and analyzing for many centuries. It can be safely said that there is no field of art where this problem has not been highlighted, starting from literary philosophy, which dates back to antiquity, and ending with cinema, the youngest child of the same culture, and it is a very difficult task to once again touch upon a motif spread across a thousand different spectrums in such a way that it acquires something individual and completely new.
A person is a constantly progressive and advancing creature, he needs the task received from his own self as much as a fish needs water, and it is a great tragedy that today a large part of society has lost such a leitmotif. Many individuals daily underestimate their own importance in society, do not notice how much perspective and ability they actually have to change everything for the better, and instead stand hopelessly in front of the locked door, the key to which lies in their pocket. The reason is clear. We simply find it easier to do what we know every day and because of the preliminary agony, no one tries to take on the seemingly “impossible” task, which is not at all such.
A clichéd tendency cannot be a vital force. On the contrary, it is precisely because of this that humanity is sinking day by day into an existential crisis, which in turn is the cause of a huge amount of depression and spiritual pain, which has taken root so much that it affects future generations. Children who watch their parents’ passive decay will accept all this as the usual rhythm of life and, consequently, will themselves be poisoned by the same disease.
Giorgi Tavartkiladze's film is not at the level that the audience would like, but it deserves respect for its attempt to present a huge problem, and the author's ability to correctly use art as a "sociological weapon" is commendable.
Nika Sivsivadze
