Grzeli nateli dgeebi

Nana Ekvtimishvili's "In Bloom" is the story of steadfast friendship, of familial strife, of young love and premature commitment, of jealousy and intended revenge, of economic hardship set in the backdrop of civil war and of a precocious maturity which surpasses the misfortune.

Fourteen year-old Eka (portrayed by the mesmerizing Lika Babluani), who resides in Tbilisi, labors in line with her neighbors to buy a couple loaves of the meagre stock of bread, at school with her boisterous classmates whom her teacher cannot seem to control, at home where her father is away, her mother seems detached and her sister patronizes her, and at times with her bosom friend, Natia, who makes a decision to escape her own strife which has dire consequences.

It is this adolescent bond, between Eka and Natia, about which the story principally revolves, the comfort and support they are able to give each other as the one or the other faces a drunken or screaming family member, tormenting peers, pressure from and violation by willful men and verbal abuse from nearly everyone. Eka is the stalwart, principled character who seems to be able to see beyond the chaos.

Exquisitely directed and acted, the viewer senses not one false note among any of the characters or their actions. Emotions are heightened and several times brought to a head, and they are so well played that the sense is that it all could have happened, exactly as portrayed.

In several scenes the camera stays on minor characters, shooting from behind or over a protagonist as she addresses them or engages in some action which holds their attention, to play out the scene through capturing the reactions of the minor cast instead of training eyes on the principal character herself: the supporting cast project their characters so impeccably, this occasional perspective works seamlessly.

On other occasions, scenes are not concluded, such as during the circumstance of a kidnapping or the consequences for the perpetrators of a mortal act or a meeting which closes the film. But the characters, all of them, and the scenes, in the short space of 100 minutes, are so finely developed by writer Ekvtimishvili and portrayed by the actors, that it is unnecessary, there is nothing wanting, the imagination easily completes the picture.

The able editing, post-processing and spare soundtrack all complement and amplify the superior direction. Stand-out cinematography, pace of the film and color grading are reminiscent of Romanian New Wave cinema, such as those of "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," "The Way I Spent the End of the World," "California Dreamin'," or "12:08 East of Bucharest."

If a viewer were pressed to find fault, he might say that "In Bloom" relates a story which lacks transcendent or inspirational moments, grand epiphanies, heroic characters or poetic dialogue. But it is the totality of poignant story and evenly-skilled effort from those behind and in front of camera to convey that story which makes the indelible mark.

This viewer was reminded several nights back in starting a commercial film (a film in which everything is spelled out, for the densest audience, nothing left to interpretation) and in having completely forgotten a recent viewing of it: the vast majority of movies are forgettable. "In Bloom" stays with you.

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Rating: 7.5+/10 (rounded up for IMDb)

Viewing: DVD, distributed in the USA by Big World Pictures (widescreen presentation; English subtitles; Dolby Digital 2.0; trailer aside, no special features relevant to picture)

Grzeli nateli dgeebi is a film from Georgia shown as In Bloom (2013) in the U.S. It was directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß. Nana Ekvtimishvili is also the writer.

The film takes place in the Georgian city of Tbilisi in 1992, shortly after the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. Although life is not easy in Tbilisi--people are always standing in line waiting to buy bread--the movie doesn't depict widespread misery. Young people are attending school, and there's enough food on the table for everyone we meet. (I assume this is an accurate portrayal of the situation at the time, although I have no way of confirming this.)

The film is, at its core, a coming-of-age movie about two adolescent girls--Eka (Lika Babluani) and Natia (Mariam Bokeria). They are best friends and manage to protect each other, as much as possible, from male aggression and bullying.

Things don't work out very well, but I can't say more without spoiling the movie. I can say this much--there's a wedding in the film, and one of the friends gives the bride the gift of an incredible folkloric dance. It's very different--at least for me--from what I expected an Eastern European folk dance to look like, but it's truly beautiful.

We saw this movie at the excellent Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. However, it will work well on DVD. I noticed that most of the IMDb reviews of In Bloom came from Eastern European viewers. I don't know whether that's because the movie has had limited release in the U.S., or because U.S. viewers just haven't been motivated to review it.

The good news is that, as I write this review, its IMDb rating is a very high 8.1. So, those who have seen In Bloom really, really like it. That supports my suggestion to seek it out and view it if at all possible.

The new Georgina film ''In bloom'' makes Deep impression onlooker, great performance by Lika Babluani and Mariam Bokeria, - a classic story about the transition to adulthood and its attendant difficulties, where the great camera work and acting of spaces were completely wiped out in the story, rather odd mounting solutions, and, most importantly, the only female view of the world.

The film is full of tragic scenes, typical of the Georgina, ''in bloom'' - talking about everyday life, it is often very cruel to us, on the abnormal situation in the families of the strong friendship and mutual assistance, first love ... yes, of love, of course, he said. And again about his childhood.

I think This film is actually In Top 5 made In Georgia During last 20-25 Year.

"In Bloom" is a first-rate coming-of-age drama from ex-Soviet Georgia, set in the capital, Tbilisi, in 1992, when the newly independent country is on the verge of coming apart. Russian-backed insurgents are fighting on the coast, bread is rationed, lawless customs from the bad old days —bride kidnapping, settling romantic rivalries with knives—are making a strong comeback.

The two leads, both first-time actresses, are amazing. Natia, already a beauty at 14, is being courted by two older guys—an unsavory tough, Kote, and the more appealing Lado. Before Lado goes off on an inopportune trip to Moscow, he gives Natia a revolver to protect herself. The stage seems to be set for an operatic climax until hard-headed Eka takes matters in hand.

The establishing scenes of squabbling families and menacing streets are quite well done, but it's the strong plot and the two lead actresses' sensitive performances that save this film from art-house miserabilism. Surprisingly, the real highlights are both musical numbers—Natia, Eka and their friends gather around the piano to sing a world-weary lovesong (something about "life is hard, and it will crush your dreams"), and Eka performs an amazing solo dance at a traditional wedding party. "In Bloom" is one of the better unheralded foreign films we've seen on Netflix lately.

The story revolves around two 14 year old girls, best friends growing up together in Georgia.

Although it's set in 1992, the time-line and history is merely a canvas for a tale of friendship and difficulties in a flawed culture and society.

We witness the hardships the two girls have to go through and negative or positive emotional bonds they have with friends/schoolmates/family.

There's not much dramatization or cheesy drama going on, since the narrative is documentary-style realism à-la "A Separation". I have to applaud the two young actresses for more-or-less carrying the whole story on their shoulders, with success. Not that the other actors are bad, they all contribute to the authentic atmosphere.

It's also hard to ignore the setting, the homes and streets that reek of post communist decay. This felt personal to me, having grown up in an "fresh" democratic Romania, where the circumstances were similar, even if not the same.

I can totally recommend "In Bloom" to anyone interested in a good story. This is no Hollywood moneymaker, but I also disagree with another reviewer writing that it's hard to understand for non-Georgians. Cinema is universal.