What is a profession? Fulfilling a childhood dream or making a rational choice in adulthood? The most frequently asked question for a kindergarten child or school-age teenager concerns a profession. Young people often dream of becoming a doctor, an actor, an astronaut, even a pilot, although there are professions that remain beyond the interest of not only children, but also adults. Such professions are no less important. Without them, our everyday life would be unimaginable. Today's society has become a consumer. It does not pay due attention to areas that provide it with comfort. No one pays attention to how bread appears on grocery store shelves, where the garbage goes, how the Tbilisi metro functions. There are services that like a clock mechanism ensure the organization of modern life, offering people a product or service that exists by itself in the consciousness of today's people. Who is behind all this? An ordinary person who gave up his childhood dream and chose to perform monotonous and routine work at the expense of his own psychological and physical health, to be one of the cogs in the mechanism.
Luka Kupunia’s student film, “Gagua” (2019) tells the story of one working day of Tbilisi metro drivers. It depicts the story of three brothers: Nugzari, Kakha, and Dato, who are united by their ancestral profession-engine driving. They continue their father’s work and talk about the difficulties associated with the specifics of this job.
The director tries to show and make the audience feel the routine of drivers through the film. To do this, he shows us all three brothers independently as well a separately. Luka Kupunia creates a cycle consisting of three parts, in each part of which all three brothers answer one question. We form an idea of the question only based on the answers. This cycle, along with the characters’ close-up shots, a separate fragment of the working day and the sequence of shots from the driver's cabin, create a sense of circularity for the viewer, just as the underground station employees have to work in reality. We can see different fragments of the working day with different brother’s participation, which creates a kind of puzzle, which, when assembling, gives the viewer the impression that they are not getting to know the story of three separate people, but of one driver. At the same time, we can clearly see based on the answers to the questions that all three brothers have not only the same job but also the same dreams, thoughts, and views. The name of the film itself, "Gagua", is Nugzari, Kakha, and Dato’s unifying surname. The director might have wanted to use these three as the example of the character's almost identical life, he wants to convey and show us a general and at the same time specific picture of all the drivers employed by the Tbilisi Metro.
There is an interesting episode in the film when the younger brother turns on a video on his mobile phone during a break so as not to feel alone, and eats with it on. This detail is notable for the fact that it clearly shows the inner world of such a monotonous service worker and creates a contrast with the character's conversation about his childhood dreams. This contrast creates the accompanying melancholic mood of the film. The interesting montage used by the director is worth noting, which enhances the emotional side of the film. When all three characters answer the second question, the camera shows the tunnel seen through the driver’s eyes, and in the next shot, the camera looks into the driver's eyes and his own voice is heard behind the scenes, describing the problems that this profession causes, the complexity of this process and his inner state while the train is moving. With this montage, Luka Kupunia shows us the same process from three different angles: with a personal camera, directly what the driver constantly sees; a close-up portrait of the main character, which, in relation to the previous shot, creates the illusion that the viewer can look into the driver’s sad eyes from the depths of the tunnel at the very moment when he is driving the train; and the voice behind the shot, which is an echo of the driver’s inner world for the viewer, is his thoughts. With the combination of these three aspects, we bring the director into the reality of the underground station employees and their physical, psychological and emotional state becomes completely understandable to us. At this moment, it becomes as easy as possible for the viewer to empathize with the main characters.
In June 2018, the problem of the Tbilisi Metro employees became known to the public. The thing is that the drivers demanded improved working conditions and went on strike for two days in protest, which significantly affected the population of Tbilisi. As a result, a large part of society paid attention to the people who drive the underground train and realized that they also have problems that they had not previously considered. Inspired by this fact, Luka Kupunia decided to respond to current events and show each individual engaged in this profession to people. The film introduces the audience to representatives of a profession forgotten by everyone, the difficulties of their work and shows that they are people just like the audience.
It is commendable when a young director chooses a social topic that is relevant. The director showed us that the work of underground train drivers is not only a routine process, but a symbol of the unappreciated work that drives Tbilisi's everyday life. The brothers’ story clearly shows us how life choices can often depend on compromise, and childhood dreams cannot meet the demands of reality.
The film "Gagua" deals with important issues. It will be interesting for everyone to watch it because, just as for society as a whole, it is important for an individual to get to know and understand the people who ensure their safe journey, to appreciate their work. This is facilitated by the director's special attention to detail and an interesting form of storytelling.
Salome Gogoli
