If we review Georgian cinema (and not only), the vast majority of films are created for the audience to have fun, to relax during the short period of time they are watching the screen and to stop thinking about reality. However, cinema is not only an entertainment but an educational means as well. No other genre of art has such a strong influence on shaping the artistic taste of youth as cinema does. As the most democratic public art, it has a strong power of ideological and aesthetic influence on people. This power needs to be used successfully especially in the space where children grow up with a large dose of the Internet. That is why the creation of Giorgi Kikalishvili's feature-animated film "Where Kindness Begins" (2017) was very timely and important. In the annotation, we read that grandpa Sandro (Zurab Kipshidze), the eldest villager, took it upon himself to raise and educate the new generation. By telling stories about St. Nicholas, he talks to children: about kindness, faith and miracles.
This is the first feature-animated film about St. Nicholas. That's why it already occupies an honorable place. On the one hand, it is fabulous (St. Nicholas’s work is told with animation), on the other hand, it is real, which gives every generation a chance to see it. St. Nicholas’s miracles are recounted in order to draw attention to the important values needed to develop a magnanimous personality. It provides factual knowledge: about the tradition of leaving gifts in stockings hanging by the fireplace, or referring to St. Nicholas as Santa Claus; how many children, even adults, do not know that Basil's tips is called Chichilaki, or where the first Chichilaki was made, etc.
It should be noted that this is the first film in which the hymns of the Catholicos Patriarch Ilia II are arranged musically, which captures the consciousness and leaves a mark in the memory forever. Watching high-quality and thoughtful films helps the child not only to expand his horizons and creative skills, but also to develop his personality. Thanks to a clear and correct message, cinema can become a tool to spread the most difficult topics. Films like “Where Kindness Begins” help a new generation deal with questions that need accurate and truthful answers.
This is a film that cannot be watched hastily, it requires a calm atmosphere to enter the fairy tale world. It can be equally successfully interesting for viewers of any age. Deep, and at the same time, simple conversations inspire viewers to perceive life and themselves.
The story, told with sincerity and simplicity in just half an hour, may seem like an insignificant work at a glance, but all you need is to open your heart for a moment, let in goodness, and everything will fall into place. The environment will become magical.
The very name of the film "Where Kindness Begins" already hints at its unusualness, but if you follow the story line logically, you will find the answer to the question, goodness begins with a kind heart, and the weapon with which they do good is a heart full of kindness. Indeed, with small acts of kindness, it is possible to create a huge magical world, where everyone will draw for himself his only happy story.
Kindness has the greatest power. It saves us in times of despair and difficult thoughts. It can light up the dark path that everyone goes through at least once in life. Each person can find in himself something which allows him to believe and perform miracles.
Well-proportioned graphics, shooting angles, color palette and many other small details make the work perfect. Every phrase is thought out to the smallest detail, every sentence carries a significant meaning.
The concept of the film can be considered in different ways. In addition to kindness, there is a clear hint of tolerance. Here are the characters with special needs. Nowadays, when children with disabilities study in regular schools, it is important to increase tolerance among their peers. In this film, the audience observes children who, despite various health problems, feel comfortable with their peers. For them there is no non-acceptance and difference with the help of kindness. They grow up in a full-fledged environment.
The winter landscape presented in the film is particularly charming. It allows you to move to the village, imagine yourself with people gathered around the fireplace, feel their inner energy. It's interesting to see how the characters hug each other, how they exchange thoughts and reach spiritual harmony together.
The starry sky, a small village house buried in snow, from the chimney of which goodness, faith and miracles rise, become a dream place, where the New Year’s Eve is longed for not only by the little ones, but also by the big ones, because goodness is equally desirable for any age. The existence of this house assures us that miracles still exist.
Fluffy snow, raindrops, all this gradually immerses you in this wonderful world. If you are an adult, you wish it was your childhood story, if you are a child, then you start looking for someone like grandpa Sandro around you, who will tell you about St. Nicholas, St. Basil's beard, kindness and love. The deeper you get into this adventure, the more you feel that goodness knows no bounds. This is the most valuable talent that is given to you by God and you should try to never feel the lack of it.
How wonderful it would be if every child had their grandpa Sandro, to whom you rush every evening, who instills in you the love of God, who teaches you how to be a good person. But if it is not possible for the new generation to grow up in such an environment, it will be easy for all teenagers to see the film.
Children who get to know Zurab Kipshidze through this work, his voice from the screen will forever go into the depths of their consciousness. It will become a symbol of goodness and hearing his voice will awaken childhood and the expectation of a miracle.
Color and sound design play an important role in this work. The fear and frustration that creeps in for only a few moments are in dark tones to be more artistically represented and an imitation of wind is added to enhance the effect. Joy and happiness, love and hope stand out not only in the characters’ soul, but also in the film itself. The constant entry of sunlight into the room and the light rising from the chimney is a clear confirmation of this. The drone shots are also great. These shots did add magic to the film.
However, there are films that do not capture peaks in terms of artistic value. When directing takes a back seat, the script should be well written so that the audience can be interested. "Where Kindness Begins" is just such a movie. Nikoloz Tsulukidze's script managed to make you close your eyes to certain episodes that could have been filmed better in terms of direction.
Despite the great respect for the idea, when talking about the technical features, one cannot fail to mention the mistakes that are easy to notice. When moving from the animated part to the feature part, there is no logical connection in several places, it is as if the episodes have been reversed. The quality is also quite low, the images are not clean.
Great care must be taken when using sign language. It should be conveyed accurately so as not to offend the feelings of people for whom it is the only means of communication. Maia Gelovani (Nino's character) takes care of this subject and does not make excessive movements, so her performance is completely satisfactory. The same can be said about Roland Okropiridze’s character. His hero’s inner world is well-perceived. The first thing that catches your eye is his kind, evasive eyes and an inexpressibly sad look inside. The young actors’ performance reveals that each of them have taken the work seriously and respectfully.
No matter how you interpret it, no matter what you consider to be the key theme, be it: kindness, tolerance or love, you still reach the faith with the help of which you believe in goodness and miracles. The film is a hope that the years will pass, the characters will grow up but kindness and faith will remain with them forever. It will occupy the largest place in the heart and will not diminish with time, but will grow so that it will be contagious to others on whom the lack of kindness is noticeable.
Teona Vekua
