In Bloom

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.

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)

"In bloom" is a film about two 14 year old girls, Eka (played by Lika Babluani) and Natia (played by Miriam Bokeria). It is very much the same as "Show me love" (1998, Lukas Moodysson) in that the one with the biggest mouth at the end of the day has the least courage.

The society in which the girls grow up is however vastly different. The stable welfare state Sweden in "Show me love" versus Georgia in "In bloom". Georgia was just seperated from the disintegrating Soviet Union at the time in which the film is situated and happens to have a fairly masculine (and for adolescent girls thus restrictive) culture.

The same theme (two 14 year old girls) in a different setting (two vastly different countries) provides for two fascinating films. The two non professional actresses playing the two leading roles are marvelous. Especially the scene in which Eka performs a traditional dance on the weddingparty of Natia is realy beautiful. Beautiful is also the cinematography of Oleg Mutu, who co-operated with some of the directors of the Romanian wave a few years earlier.

Georgia is a relatively new film country, which is not surprising for a state that has become independant not so long ago. It should however not be forgotten that some famous directors from the Soviet era were born in Georgia, such as Mikhail Kalatozov and Sergei Parajanov.

Yes, indeed I just registered on IMDb so that I could write a review on this truly amazing movie. The movie is centered around two teenage girls making it through the war in Georgia (the country) from 1990's and their every day struggles at home, school and on the streets. The war is not on the front page though. It is in the background but it does not make the movie any less dramatic. Physical and sexual harassment, bullying, civil war, poverty, survival, struggle, depression, making it to the next day, swimming in the ocean of aggression while trying to retain some values and integrity, trying not to become one of them...It is more revealing and even shocking once you realize that the struggles these girls and their mothers and grandmothers had to fight more than 20 years ago are not necessarily over either in Georgia or elsewhere. Women still have to put up the 'pretty' masks once in public and smile and pretend to be happy even if they had been beaten up by their spouses a few hours earlier. Women have to act in order to please others - others being spouses, or parents, or friends, or the society as a whole. In short, the movie is highly recommended!

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.