Life in the 1990s was a painful time for everyone. People had to fight for survival every day. During that period, they learned both to ignore and help each other. If they hadn't had each other and hadn't been in groups, they mightn't have survived in that chaotic world. It was the division into groups and parties that led to the war, in which many people died. One of the reasons for the war, after all, was the lack of communication. People did not talk to each other. Despite the difference of opinion, they did not sit at the same table and did not defend their attitude with arguments. They took their guns and just shot. War was like a game for them and it had no rules at all. Everyone set the laws themselves and acted like that.
Giorgi Tavartkiladze's film "Bad People" (2018) depicts the period of the civil war. Like a coin, a plot has two sides. It's interesting who is bad when everyone has their own truth. Tbilisi was divided into two during that period. Two opposing groups fought each other over ideas and views. They tried to maintain order in the city, and everyone had their own opinion on this order. The parties were bad for each other. And they didn't even know why. Everything was the fault of their perception. The title "Bad People" also depends on the perception.
Opposing groups were distinguished by white and black armbands. The colors of the bands evoke the association of "yin and yang." Yin and Yang is a concept from Asian, more precisely, Chinese philosophy and expresses the idea that no matter how opposite and polar the various forces may seem, they are still interconnected and interdependent.
This is exactly the case with Gia and his old classmate. Gia, one of the leaders of the Black Armband, is looking for a cure for his feverish son. It is true that they bring this medicine at the beginning of the film, but it gets damaged in one of the encounters. During this search, he comes across a classmate who, at the same time, is the leader of the other group. The only thing that prevents two opposing people from shooting each other are childhood memories and a teacher who is a patient of the hospital where Gia went. Gia carries a gun sling over his shoulder throughout the film, but never fires. He looks like an aggressive person. He is a was participant, but at the same time, he is not.
The life of the two opposing groups is like a school play, "Two Banners." In this case, the banner is the remedy. The leaders forget their groups and unite for the little child. There is the other side to this sentimental story – they forget their principles and betray the groups. They take off their armbands and go to the second hospital together. The game is chaotic. There is no prerequisite in the film. Only actions and the path to results. No one knows if they have found a cure for the fever. The film has an open ending and leaves the audience to finish the story as they wish. Therefore, the main point for the director is not medicine. He has no idea what he will say, more important is how he will say it. He wanted to show that sometimes a person can go beyond his own principles. It depends what will be the reason for this move.
Tbilisi of that period is a fragmented, shredded city. It can't breathe anymore and if it could speak, it would probably cry to the last sound. People stand with guns and can shoot each other without flinching at the end of every street. As if all this is not real life. They hunt each other, and whichever group has more "prey" in the form of dead people, will be the winner. They have more animal instincts than human ones. They fight each other, but neither of them actually knows why the gun is being fired. They don't shoot children. They seem to be protecting them but they don't think about how the children who lived in that time will grow up, in a time where the main topic was the lack of love and compassion along with the communication problem.
The plot of "Bad People" is similar to the plot of Dito Tsintsadze's film "On the Edge" (1993). "On the Edge" describes the period of the civil war. Society is divided into two parts. They are united by a non-existent idea. The both sides claim that they are patriotic and will even shoot in the foreheads of their fellow citizens if necessary. And without raising an eyebrow. The both parties are sure of their own truth and they are not going to give up until they prove the truth. You don't care if they dirty their hands with the blood of a relative, friend or even an acquaintance. The main character of the film, Nika, is trying to run away, he thinks that everything is nonsense and he does not consider it necessary to take sides, but he still has to choose a side. He stands on the edge and shoots aimlessly.
Both films portray this story in the same way. They follow all the details in a straight line. 25 years have passed since 1993, and Giorgi Tavartkiladze makes films almost not different from others. Moreover, he depicts that frozen, dusty, sad period in bright colors. The film does not show the reasons why Tbilisi was split into two parts. I wonder if they tried to negotiate with each other. None of the films actually show what is happening, who fired first, where the war started, and what they recommend to the city, which is already gray. Unfortunately, the 2018 film is simply a remake of Tsintsadze's old film. Another reminder of how people lived during the Tbilisi Civil War.
Although the plot is somewhat superficial, it still has something to say. The chaos that started at that time has not ended to this day. The war of that period has transformed and moved to social networks. To this day, people have not learned to listen to each other, and if they could, they would start a civil war again.
Barbare Kalaijishvili
