REJECTED NEGATIVES - FILM DISCUSSION AND MORE

"They co-exist and they don't co-exist" - this is how Nika explains Dachi what negative numbers are. Nika and Dachi are inmates of a juvenile detention institution just like their peers there - rejected by society and sometimes, even by their families. "Negative Numbers" (2019) is a film by Uta Beria, which is shown to children in different regions of Georgia as part of the "Cinema at School" project and then discussed. It's a good project and a good choice of film. The topics, which take an artistic form in this film, constantly excite any society: people stuck in prison, especially the under-aged; dishonest representatives of justice; the effects of the criminal world on children and adolescents and on society in general; oppression of a person by another one, superior to him, or by a system.

REJECTED NEGATIVES - FILM DISCUSSION AND MORE Read More

FADED SUN IN THE CONFLICT ZONE

The image of injustice spread in the colorless space of modernity seems to be perceived as a biblical generalization of one villager, if we create a true story of happiness, philanthropy and oppression of truth. The feature film of director and screenwriter Beso Solomanashvili, "Vegetable Garden in the Conflict Zone" (2021) depicts the tragedy of the 2008 war. In all its essence, such concrete and dramatic, human misery seems to be easily generalized if we find an artistic equivalent, as the author of the film was able to do.

FADED SUN IN THE CONFLICT ZONE Read More

FROM DIGNITY TO SILENCE

Any social drama, based on the artistic interpretation of facts that have lost its function and undermine human dignity, can very easily turn into a tragedy - such is the special way of dealing with reality dictated by modern life and remained yet from the era of Italian neorealism, which invariably gives the cinema the opportunity to reach a tragic end. This ability of social drama is noteworthy as the latter has changed many times the range of attitudes towards values, and is one of the most important genre and artistic forms today, which can even see shocking reality from its dangerous, internal, unexpected side and present it to us.

FROM DIGNITY TO SILENCE Read More

"I REMEMBER, I LOVED YOU. . ."

My interest in Margo Zubashvili's short film, "The Sun is Sleeping" (2017) was caused by two factors: Margo is the daughter of a famous film and television director, and the main role in this film is played by Nino Kasradze, an actress whose participation is a prerequisite for me to be particularly interested in the film or play, especially since I have already seen her in Margo Zubashvili’s previous work, "Dinosaur," where only in one episode she showed us the character, interests with impressive acting skills.

"I REMEMBER, I LOVED YOU. . ." Read More

BUSTLE DURING THE BREAK

It has been a long time since cinema stopped being a mass entertainment spectacle. It is a reflection of society now - sometimes propagandistic, sometimes harsh and sometimes fantastically bright, but it should clearly show the line between good and bad, white and black and even if it is a film about a negative character, the audience should not want to be in his place.

BUSTLE DURING THE BREAK Read More

A SHORT TRIP INTO THE PAST AND PRESENT

In the daily routine, people lose important values, opportunities to communicate with loved ones. It seems to suppress feelings and emotions, it does not allow us to think about how much time we waste on futile actions and acquiring material values. Only the feeling of approaching the end of life makes you look at the world anew and see how important the spiritual freedom of a person is.

A SHORT TRIP INTO THE PAST AND PRESENT Read More

A NOVEL ABOUT WOMEN

After the film "Anna's Life" it became clear that the story told in it would have a continuation. Today, Nino Basilia’s film and two subsequent works - "Person No. 2" and "Chemical Wedding" can be considered a film trilogy, and not only because the same actors participate in them. Playwright, director, writer, Nino Basilia's novel "Plastic Nerve" has this inscription: "female novel." Accordingly, this film trilogy is also about the female gender, specifically "Person No. 2" (2020), if we use a paraphrase, is a "female film." It reminded me of my favorite play,

A NOVEL ABOUT WOMEN Read More

FATHER IN THE AGE OF "FATHERLESSNESS"

David Pirtskhalava's short film "Father" (2015) is the director's debut work. Dozens of films with similar (or approximate) names have been shot worldwide. Fatherhood or fatherlessness is the main topic of many works. David Pirtskhalava also entered cinema with such an important statement and so interestingly that in 2015, the jury of the Locarno Film Festival acknowledged his film as one of the best and awarded him a prize.

FATHER IN THE AGE OF "FATHERLESSNESS" Read More