Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry

Based on feminist writer Tamta Melashvili’s celebrated novel, this gem of a film follows Etero (Eka Chavleishvili), a forty-eight-year-old woman who lives happily in a provincial Georgian village. Content with her independent lifestyle, Etero’s world is changed by a near-death experience. Naveriani’s deft direction offers a portrait of a woman who doesn’t conform to society, standing in contrast to the norms of present-day Georgia. Beautifully realized, the film’s exceptional use of color and the strong performance by Chavleishvili deliver a work akin to the subtlety and deadpan humor found in the films of Aki Kaurismäki.