Article by Nicolò Pilon

Translation by Martina Agostino

During the elections in 2012 in Georgia, the Party’s candidate Mikheil Saak’ashvili of “United National Movement” promises free dental visits to all citizens over the age of 50. He does not limit himself to promises, in fact he hires teams of dentists tasked with restoring the smiles of his potential voters. At the end of the two-month campaign, however, Mikheil will lose the election, leaving citizens with half surgery done, but with no teeth. Eight years later, director Luka Beradze decides to go to one of the  regions most affected by this electoral cataclysm, where he will find the Innominatovillage, in the municipality of Chiaturi.

The film unfolds on two levels, the 2012 elections and the current ones, which are taking place during the recording of the film in 2020. Exactly as in the previous round, the two main Parties from eight years earlier are facing each other again; nevertheless, the villagers take an interest in politics by showing the strength and desire to continue their everyday lives. They do not hesitate to give opinions on the subject, they openly tell their feelings and, in doing so they immediately prove to be endowed with great self-irony and extraordinary lucidity. It’s their peculiarity that allows the director to sway between more introspective moments and scenes of irrepressible levity, bordering on the absurd.

Starting from this event, on the borderline between investigation and mournful curiosity, the film reflects on the world of Georgian politics and the instability of the country. Indeed,  the strong criticism addressed to the current political parties holding the nation’s power resulted in a boycott campaign by the Georgian Film Center. Despite this, the documentary was presented during the Tbilisi International Film Festival and was very well accepted by the audience. Thus, the film does not hide how these people have been abandoned by the national political world, especially by the two main Parties in the parliament, precisely the “United National Movement” and the “Georgian Dream.” However, the documentary does not simply denounce a situation of abandonment as in a simple reportage but it emphasizes the tenacity and resilience of a community that continues to hope for a better future and the beauty of its land.