AMSEL IM BROMBEERSTRAUCH

Etero is 48, runs a small shop in a Georgian village and has never married – by choice, not for lack of opportunity. While picking blackberries, she nearly falls into a ravine; shortly afterwards she begins an affair with Murman, the married supplier who delivers to her shop. She keeps the relationship secret, though the village talks regardless. When Murman’s promotion puts their arrangement in question, Etero must choose between a late love and the independence she has held onto for decades; worries about her own health add to the weight. “Amsel im Brombeerstrauch” by Elene Naveriani, a Georgian film from 2023, is the story of a woman who awakens late, and in her own way.

The Georgian director Elene Naveriani, who lives in Switzerland, adapted the novel by Tamta Melashvili (2021) for her third feature, a Swiss-Georgian co-production. Eka Chavleishvili plays Etero with a presence that needs hardly any camera movement; the film takes its time and lets the village itself act as an adversary. It premiered in 2023 in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes in Cannes. The film was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2023.

Shown at the 2023 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

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