Eka Chavleishvili, Temiko Chichinadze, Lia Abuladze
A 48-year-old woman living in a small Georgian village, Etero (Eka Chavleishvili) never wanted a husband. Commanding and intelligent, possessed of a stoic independence and a dry wit, she cherishes her freedom as much as the mille-feuille she repeat orders at a local café. The more her fellow villagers condescend to her, the more she adheres to her choices; but when a passionate encounter brings a new recklessness into her life, she must decide whether to pursue a relationship or continue alone. Grappling with a personal revolution, Etero seeks her own happiness.
Wry, endearing and uncommonly thoughtful, Elene Naveriani’s follow-up to 2021’s Wet Sand – adapted from a first-person novel by Georgian author Tamta Melashvili – is fully sited in its late-blooming heroine’s experience as a woman awakened by intimations of romance and mortality. Funny and sad, it boasts a satisfying emotional ambiguity, deepened by Chavleishvili’s delightful performance as the formidable/vulnerable Etero, Agnesh Pakozdi’s summery cinematography, and a gorgeously eclectic soundtrack.
