Directed by: Elene Naveriani
Distributed by: TBA
Written by Michael Clawson
80/100
Offbeat and frankly erotic, this character study from Georgia considers the complexity and contradictions of desire with an agreeably light touch. But it begins with near catastrophe. Etero (Eka Chavleishvili), an unmarried shopkeeper in her late forties, is picking blackberries in a ravine when she slips, and nearly tumbles down to the river below. Though she manages to drag herself up the rough slope with only scrapes and bruises for injuries, the brush with death proves to be a spiritually upending experience, one that prompts the doggedly independent Etero to reckon with her mortality and chosen life of solitude. With a newfound curiosity for passionate connection, she begins an affair with her store’s humble deliveryman, and discovers the pleasures of sex through afternoon trysts in her store’s stockroom, modest hotels, and the open air of the countryside. What emerges is a droll and charming portrait of a woman navigating all facets of femininity in middle age, but particularly the trade-offs between singledom and companionship.
I was reminded of another Georgian film, 2017’s “My Happy Family,” which also centered on a woman defiantly prioritizing her freedom over what tradition and her peers expect of her. But where that film skewed towards the realism of, say, the Dardennes, “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” evokes Aki Kaurismäki through both its deadpan emotionalism and pops of color. In a scene where Etero casually socializes with other women from her village, stoically withstanding their haughty judgment of her lifestyle, high-key lighting creates an image that could be lifted straight out of “Fallen Leaves.” The mise-en-scene is consistently attractive, but it never takes the attention away from Etero, who Chavleishvili imbues with steely intensity. The script by director Elene Naveriani deftly fills in the context for Etero’s romantic guardedness through indications of a troubled family history, but makes sure to paint Etero as anything but a victim. The film approaches her sensuality and life choices from a place of tenderness and respectful understanding. That Etero ultimately finds herself on the precipice of an altogether different and unexpected form of connection is a sweet surprise.
“Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” Trailer
Michael Clawson is a member of the Seattle Film Critic Society you can follow his passion for film on Letterboxd.