When directors started looking for unique techniques and authorial style to express a multifaceted idea, was the time when the fable narrative was created in cinema. Without specifying the place and time, by camouflaging, so as to reflect the images of many people in one character, not to offend anyone and to criticize everyone, at the same time. A great example of this is Tinatin Kajrishvili's film, “Citizen Saint” (2023) – a philosophical fable about faith, fear, people and their weaknesses. It reflects everything earthly and fabulous. The director asks questions and shows different viewpoints.
Film allegory as a cultural phenomenon is mainly used by film directors who work in auteur cinema and contribute to the development of its intellectual line. Fable in the cinema turned out to be an opportunity to create a new type of artistic thinking, to present a person in his individual form in life adventures, to show the most illogical and absurd situations. Parable narration allows the director to discover and master new expressive possibilities. Stripped of concrete everyday details, the episodes that emerge from the historical signs of place and time invite the viewer to think, analyze and answer the questions raised in the film. “Citizen Saint” meets all these requirements, therefore, it can be safely called a film fable.
In the miners’ town there is a statue of the saint crucified many centuries ago. It is very important for every resident, they pray on it. Miners believe that with its help their work is less dangerous.
One day, the statue will be moved to the warehouse for restoration, but in the morning they will find that the saint on the cross has disappeared. The whole town is desperate to find him. At the same time, an unknown person appeared, who does not speak, but understands everything. They think this is an unknown resurrected saint, there is fear and doubt as to how correct it is to worship him, and he has so much power to protect his fellow townsmen. At the same time, the audience follows a number of relevant and important sub-topics. Internal transformation of people can be seen. This film about the fate of ordinary people in a small mining town looks amazingly magical.
Visually, the work is excellent. The director carefully changes the shots, sometimes he speeds up the montage, sometimes he presents the environment at a slow pace. Even minor details are captured by the camera lens. Perfectly selected music and acting skills enhance the effect. The black and white shots here are not made to create an atmosphere of hopelessness, cruelty or doom, but this technique is used to emphasize the absurdity of this town.
This is an example of what a real cinema should be, thoughtful, clear of all unnecessary, touching and thought-provoking. This is a film, the viewing of which causes mixed feelings, but its pathos will stay with you for a long time and make you change your vicious qualities, become more humane and loving, make you think about all your actions, life itself and look at it more from the spiritual side. Its atmosphere is saturated with mysticism, the plot develops slowly, and the emphasis is entirely on conveying inner feelings.
The film is not about religion, but about faith in general. Faith is such a powerful force that heals, it is a force in which you can find yourself. True, the plot is saturated with mysticism, but in each episode there is a hint of the character's spiritual recovery. As the story progresses, all the heroes change, which is an extremely important factor. The author was able to accurately depict their spiritual pain and show the real scale of values. The episodic characters’ inner world and even the feelings became clear to the audience: an old couple who brought an offering to the saint as a sign of thanks; the school teacher who came to see the statue with the students; miners who haven't seen Vano in ten years; an old man who drags a heavy cross alone from the cemetery thinking he is a saint; Berdo's wife, with an incurable pain from the death of her son. Each of them is the soul of the film, no less important than the main characters. There are small details here, but at the same time very important for the film. In each character, you can recognize your neighbor, fellow townsman or even the personalities you have often seen on TV. In the film, the personality of each character is well-described, everyone has their own story, and therefore the audience feels and sympathizes with them.
Dialogues are an important component. Often, many directors forget that only with good actors, original plot and technical characteristics, they cannot make a good film without clear, sharp unique dialogues and monologues of the characters. All the characters and their replicas look their best in this work. Absolutely every conversation has weight and meaning. The emotional component of the story is also interesting, because this work contains a number of painful scenes that evoke sympathy.
The character of Berdo (Levan Berikashvili) whose son died when the tunnel collapsed is particularly noteworthy. He has been plagued by guilt for ten years. After the accident, he lives in one of the abandoned tunnels, unable to talk to his wife. He himself notes: My father told me to ask my wife for forgiveness, but how can I ask for it when I cannot forgive myself. Berdo is the image of all those families who, like him, lost a family member in the mine. Everyone tries to cope with pain in their own way – some become more religious, others, on the contrary. Berdo takes care of everything, especially the statue of the saint. It is probably hard to imagine how the father feels, who left his only child in the tunnel and could not help him. How many families grieve like he does. Thousands of miners die every year in the world and, unfortunately, many similar cases have been recorded in Georgia. From the very first minutes of the film, information about the miners' plight is heard: after the collapse of the tunnel, Valery could no longer recognize anyone, could not speak, Vano was confined to a wheelchair, some lost their children, some lost their husbands, some lost their fathers...
Faith is important to continue life. In this case, religion is not meant. When you believe in something, it's easy to get on with life, if you believe, it's possible to just keep doing things like miners do. For those who risk their lives every day by going to work, the statue of the saint provides strength and direction. Berdo is like that and Vano has lost all faith, he has forgotten that he himself is responsible for his life and is fully responsible for everything. He thinks that the whole world is guilty before him, although he was not an exemplary person, but he did not do any more harm than others, although he also regains his faith when he wants to end his life by suicide, he sees the cross on which the saint was nailed and suddenly stands up. Vano's wife Mari (Mariam Kitia) blurs the line between faith and fanaticism. According to her, the saint is to blame for all her misfortunes and happiness. She complains to him why he behaved so ruthlessly to her. After all, Mari constantly prayed and took care of the statue. For the managers of the mine (characters of Gia Burjanadze and Temiko Chichinadze) faith is a guarantee of more income and stability, they only have a fear of not being known about their unconscientious deeds.
The saint is equally respected by everyone – miners, town, government, schoolchildren and ordinary citizens. Why, after all, the miners’ town, the crucified saint would also successfully adapt to all situations. Perhaps, because it is for such people that faith is the most important, despite many difficulties, to maintain goodness and not become evil.
It is strange in itself that the appearance of a stranger in the town was not a surprise to anyone, without any introduction, he was unanimously recognized as a resurrected saint. This is too absurd and needs more clarification.
The director is able to tell a complex story by using audiovisual images and special techniques of film language, so that the audience is imperceptibly immersed in it. “Citizen Saint” definitely deserved to be nominated for Oscar. This work was able to show that Georgian cinema can speak its word and create an interesting and memorable film.
Teona Vekua
