To be young and in love – these are the impossibly painful conditions driving a terrific feature by the Georgian-Swedish film-maker Levan Akin that was a hit at last year’s Cannes. The film, which has the freewheeling fluency and fervency I associate with the French New Wave, is the story of two male dancers in Tbilisi’s National Georgian Ensemble whose relationship must remain a secret due to the macho conservatism of the Georgian dance world. Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) is a brilliant young performer whose playful, sensual improvisatory touches are frowned on by the troupe’s director who considers them appropriate for traditional national dance. Mortifyingly, Merab is removed from a particular routine in favour of newcomer Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), who appears to have a more acceptable masculine rigidity. But there is a spark between Irakli and Merab – which is painful for Mary (a lovely performance from Ana Javakishvili), who has known and danced with Merab since they were kids, and considers herself Merab’s intended.
Back at home, Merab’s extended family are strapped for cash, reliant on the leftovers he brings back from the restaurant where he has a part-time job waiting tables, and the apartment is hit by power blackouts, which causes his grandma to muse fondly: “This reminds me of Shevardnadze’s time!” His estranged father, meanwhile, is an ex-dancer who has fallen out with the dance establishment, and now runs a market stall. Gelbakhiani (a dancer with no previous acting experience) is excellent as Merab: his open, intelligent and sensitive face fills the screen with life, especially when he is almost loopy with love for Irakli.
The dance scenes are very satisfying – I could have watched them for hours on end and, rightly or wrongly, I was hoping for an extended, formally choreographed routine featuring Merab, Irakli and Ana. There is, however, a wonderful “wedding” scene featuring Merab’s brother and the woman he has just got pregnant, followed by a bravura scene at the reception in which a single tracking shot snakes through the raucous party. The physicality of this picture is exciting.
