Nana Jorjadze is an architect by her first profession. And she worked in this field but her versatility of an artist gave cinema a privilege, and Georgian cinema was really lucky to have a creator who was different from everyone else.
Her films are distinguished by unexpectedness, sincerity and boldness. Not only did she introduce a completely different film language, but also brought many awards to Georgian cinema, including two for the first time: in 1987, the Cannes International Film Festival prize "Golden Camera" for the film "Robinsonada, or My English Grandpa" and "Oscar" nomination in 1996 for the film "1001 recipes of a Chef in Love." For the first time, a Georgian film group participated in the "Oscar" awarding ceremony for the whole world to hear, a Georgian film was nominated for the best foreign film... and it happened, as it is called, in the "black and dark" 1990s.
From the 1990s to the present, the majority of Georgian films are dramas, about people destroyed by the cataclysms of life, depressed, without prospects, who are trapped in a closed space created by themselves, even a fresh stream of air cannot reach them.
Such is the stream of Nana Jorjadze's film, "Forced Migration of Butterflies" (2024), which is not colorful, but multi-colored with the world created in the picture, whose inhabitants, unusually charming people, are viable. People rarely realize that life is priceless, that happiness is the light that every day brings. The characters in this film, musicians, a ballerina, a dress designer, a novitiate nun (former photographer) live like this: it is one circle of friends, gathered around the artist Kosta.
They have gone through wars, the death of political idols, incomprehensible devastating changes that invaded their lives. In the film, it is a part of photographer Nata's (Natia Nikolaishvili) archive, which does not only have a background function, it is a biography of people who live in Georgia, share common joys and sorrows, and despite the drama, their doors are always open, it is a way of life.
One such door leads to the half-basement of the main character of the movie, Kosta (Rati Eradze), where his friends constantly dwell. The space is decorated with paintings (Nana Jorjadze exhibited the works of brilliant modern Georgian artists), which become full-valued characters of the film, have a function, tell their own stories. The main one among them is one of the canvases - "Migration of Butterflies" (a painting by the production artist, Giorgi Maskharashvili), which was specially created for this film and is the beginning around which the idea of the story revolves "they don't know where the wind blows from" - these are Kosta's words about this painting, which he will never sell.
We have seen or, at least read about unique collections of butterflies. Entomologists know everything about each species, where they live, how long they live. If the butterfly is not in its harmonious environment, it loses vitality, degenerates, and dies.
We are a beautiful, delicate butterfly, each of us and all of us together. In order to understand and feel this in a tragicomedy with good humor, the authors of "Forced Migration of Butterflies" (screenwriters: Nana Jorjadze, Tamar Bartaia, George Shepard) can be said to conventionally combine the lives of the characters of the film into four stories:
First - the artist Kosta, the former ballerina Nina, the greatest love of his life and Steve, the collector of American paintings;
Second – costume designer Laura and Italian entomologist, butterfly researcher Marco;
Third – musicians Mura and Misha, Misha's elderly, dementia-stricken mother Nunu and Misha's mother Taso;
Fourth is a former photographer, novitiate nun Nata, who captures her friends and events in the street with her old video camera.
Together they create a world where there is only support, friendship, kindness which help to overcome life's difficulties. Kosta draws theatrical sketches for another artist, helps his colleagues with the money from the sold paintings, repairs the roof of Nata's monastery, and Nata herself is helpful and hopeful to everyone; ballerina Nina (Tako Tabatadze) is really like a fluttering butterfly, she always runs away and comes back to Kosta, they can't live without each other but they can't stay together for a long time either, "perhaps they run away from existence” -as Nina says. This is neither insolence nor treason. "Go, nobody needs us here!" - that's what Kosta tells her. Mura (Buba Jorjadze) and Misha (Giorgi Tsagareli), musicians, are forced to find a way to survive. For years, Misha has been writing music that no one needs (the theme written by him sounds in the finale. The film composer is Davit Evgenidze).
These people have been together since childhood. We are introduced to such people at the beginning of the movie, "we are all going to Sukhumi together!" - is the call of hopeful, joyful young people. It will be followed again by the film chronicle. This time, footage of the war in Abkhazia and then the caption, "27 years after the war." From this time, they come under the lens of our observation. The camera movement of the set cameraman, Mikheil Kvirikadze, creates amazing dynamics and lightness, every frame is a painting, the lighting is airy and seems to be a specially created beauty.
Nana Jorjadze's skill in selecting and working with professional and non-professional actors for roles is also revealed. The main character of the film is played by non-professional Rati Eradze. His sincerity, immediacy is enviably convincing. We cannot forget Buba Jorjadze and Giorgi Tsagareli’s very impressive duet.
The brilliant actors Marina Janashia and Tamar Skhirtladze played their last roles in the film. This might be how Marina Janashia will be remembered by her fans: an American lady in love with Japan dressed in a kimono in speechless episodes. Tamar Skhirtladze's aunt Nunu, who is confined to a wheelchair, has dementia, but how natural and true are her thoughts: "Since they don't have the giftedness to build, they start demolishing the old one... Will they demolish the cathedral too?"
Darejan Kharshiladze appeared in this film with only one episode (she portrays a former opera singer, currently a prostitute). I think this is the actress’s one of the best movie roles. Nino Lezhava’s role was also interestingly fit in the characters of the film, as well as Ana Kurtubadze, whose hero Taso suddenly entered the unknown world, became an essential part of it, her song ("Anthem to Love") sounded like the leitmotif of the film. It is impossible not to be fascinated by Tamar Bziava's tragicomic talent. Laura, played by her, is a clothes designer, if she tries to avoid this environment by marrying a foreigner, she might be lucky with her work there. The choice stops on an Italian entomologist, who discovers in Georgia a unique species of butterflies, a subject of his interest, which, as it turns out, can only exist in their native environment and need to be cared here. Laura is like that, so are her friends, every Georgian. After all, the butterfly is their metaphorical image in the film, so Mura and Misha, refuging with native Americans, will definitely return to their native environment, so Nina returns from America: "Butterflies cannot withstand forced migration!" the logical continuation of these words is that Nata gives a camera (brought by Nina from America) to an unknown boy in the street. She has already done her share, now it's this boy's turn, the future is in the hands of the new generation.
Rarely can anyone tell us nowadays about the most important and main things as pleasantly and lightly as Nana Jorjadze does. She tells each and every one of us in an impressive and memorable way, unlike anyone else, so that you want to see her film again and again.
The director is grateful for the dedicated work of each member of the film's creative team (including producer Zhana Sardlishvili, co-producers Giorgi Mikeladze and Sergey Sarkisov).
And finally, I will end with Nana Jorjadze’s words: "Unfortunately, art cannot stop humanity from evil deeds, but in this misfortune it gives us a chance to remain human. With this film, I tried to confess my friends, my generation that I have fallen in love with them!"
Nana Tutberidze
