Giorgobistve

Definitely not for the short attention-span set. This takes its own sweet time to get anywhere and even then you're not quite sure where it's taken you. It kicks off with a long opening sequence resembling nothing more than a pre-war black and white documentary on traditional wine-growing in Georgia and I may as well state my ignorance up front, I didn't even know that Georgia HAD a wine-growing industry but I'm guessing they don't export too much of it. The screening I attended was introduced by the director who advised us not to read the subtitles and, to a great extent, the film can be followed just by watching it. If it has a central character it is Nico, a teenager who gets a job in a wine-collective (if that's the correct term) and subsequently decides that one of the new barrels is undrinkable and ensures it will not be bottled by adding gelatin to the barrel. That's about it apart from a slight sub-plot involving a possessive bully and two giggling girls. I'm glad I saw it but I'm not sure I'd want to sit through it again.

a film about communism, love, moral rectitude, and, in a measure, about faith. a common fact in a wine factory. and a decision who reveals the innocence of a young man. a love story more fragile than a spider web.and a time. concentric circles by a great director who create not only realistic portrait of society, ironic picture of a system but use the most delicate tools for build the atmosphere, the tension between characters, the essence of Nico gestures. a beautiful movie for its splendid grace. a grace who is just part of admirable force. the monastery image as remember of real certitude, the fall of leaves and beginning of maturity, the amusing scenes and the wise manner to give to each scene its nimbus. that is all. it is a not small error to not see it. maybe, only to understand a little part from a season from East history.

"Giorgobistve", or "Falling Leaves", was director Otar Iosseliani's first feature-length film, following some largely unseen shorts and the now available and very good "Aprili". I would probably rank "Giorgobistve" as one of the better debuts by directors I like. It may not have the lasting power of "Eraserhead" for example, but it is a confident, mostly not seriously flawed, opening film for Iosseliani, and one that serves as a fine introduction to his style of film-making.

One of the most noticeable things about "Giorgobistve" is Iosseliani's use of the camera. The black and white photography by Abessalom Maisuradze is impressive, but it is what Iosseliani himself does, working with his camera operator, that really stands out, giving the film a very kinetic style that sometimes feels as if it stems from fear of keeping the camera still, but here feels perfectly sensible and certainly suits and enhances the film's 'cinema-verite' feel and adds to the realism.

Critics' reviews I have read of "Giorgobistve" point at the film's shift in tone around halfway through as a fault, but I beg to differ. It was a very conscious move by the writer Amiran Chichinadze to reflect the sudden turn from happiness to misery that life in the soviet era could take. Iosseliani captures this beautifully. I'm not sure if any of the acting is actually great, but for the most part it is solid, with Ramaz Giorgobiani as Niko in the lead role being particularly effective.

"Giorgobistve" is perhaps not a great film, and Iosseliani would certainly go on to make better films, but this is a very impressive film regardless.

8/10

This movie is a masterpiece. Original title is "Giorgobis Tve ((Saint George's month), which is in fact a month (November) of fiest - wine testing, following the month of winemaking (Month of October). It very well depicts the absurdity of life in Soviet Georgia:)))) The director is Otar Ioseliani, who also shot several other masterpieces including Pastoral, Once Upon a Time There Was a Singing Blackbird (1970) and Favorites of the Moon, etc.

Nico is a college graduate. He gets assigned to be an engineer at a wine factory. He tries to do his job well and falls in love with beautiful Marina. The movie is very slow paced (like a movie about Georgia should be) but it never gets boring. Sometimes it is very funny and almost never too sad. Leaves you with a very nice feeling.