…to start a new career or follow a dream. Like starting to act at 85, which is what Esther Gorintin (aka Eka in Since Otar left) did.

‘All three actresses are wonderful, but…the best actress currently on New York screens is Esther Gorintin, a 90-year-old Pole who provides the emotional centre for Julie Bertucceli’s delicate, bittersweet comedy-drama.’ So raved The New York Post when they set their eyes on Esther. And their praise was mirrored by many other critics.

Reading these reviews, it’s hard to imagine Esther hasn’t been acting her whole life. Make up your mind about Esther’s acting skills tomorrow at our 2.30pm screening.

Maybe you’re wondering why we’re screening a Georgian film, when geographically, Georgia might not be part of Europe at all. Most Georgians themselves like to think it is.

We thought there are enough cultural similarities to warrant its presence in our program. Georgia was part of the former Soviet Union alongside other Eastern European countries, it has a diverse and multicultural population, and yes, it also displayed clear signs of that fascination with the West.

Unrelated but note-worthy, Georgia gave the world comrade Stalin, a figure still strangely revered by its co-nationals, maybe as a claim to fame. Rumour has it you can still drop by any local market in Tbilisi and pick up Stalin memorabilia.

One thing most Eastern European countries shared, especially during Soviet times, is a wide-spread fascination with the West. In the absence of free access and real interactions with it, Eastern Europeans would often see it as a promised land, any connection with it treasured, any relative who lived in the West revered.

Even before the Iron Curtain made Western Europe hard to access, Eastern European aristocracy in 19th and early 20th centuries spoke  French in social circles. If you wanted to appear sophisticated and make an impression, conversing in French might have done the trick.

Watch out for all the clues director Julie Bertuccelli sprinkles throughout the film to suggest how characters idealise France.

Don’t even dream about being completely honest with your loved ones, urged philosopher Alain de Botton earlier this week at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Since Otar Left is a perfect example of lies becoming a little… complicated. The three characters live in Georgia, a former Soviet republic where lies and deceit had long been a way of life. But here they lie to protect each other from life’s tragedies and disappointments. When her brother Otar dies in an accident in Paris, Marina keeps the truth from her mother to save her the heartbreak in her old age. But a complicated lie is never so easy to keep up and it affects everyone involved.

This is a film that will question your known truths and values in the best possible way. And isn’t that what we need art for?

So go on, tell us what you would lie to your loved ones about?

Get your pass for Since Otar left.

 

SINCE OTAR LEFT
Georgia/France 2005
Drama 103 min

Director: Julie Bertuccelli
Cast: Esther Gorintin, Ninio Khomasuridze, Dinara Drukarova
Awards: Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes 2003, Best 1st fiction at Cesar Awards, Best Actress (Drukarova) at Acteurs A l'Ecran 2003Since

Otar leaves his home town of Tbilisi in search of a better life in Paris. His mother, sister and niece are left behind, their hopes kept alive by his occasional letters and phone calls.

Documentary filmmaker Julie Bertucelli brings to the screen a deceptively simple story, with exquisitely drawn characters that will stay with you long after the film ends. The three women, Eka, Marina and Ada, who live in a small book-filled apartment in Tbilisi, are closely and tenderly observed. The absent Otar is a constant presence in the plot, and Eka displays a fierce pride and confidence in him. Marina receives news that Otar was killed in Paris and is distraught at the thought of her mother finding out the devastating news.

The wonderful performances make this film stand out, particularly the 90-year old Esther Gorintin (Eka in the film), who started her acting career at 85.

Book your pass.

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We have conducted extensive research (thanks Irina) and came up with 4 true and not so-true facts about Macedonia. Have a guess which ones might be true and which ones not.

1. Mother Theresa was born in Macedonia
2. Macedonia has more mountains and peaks than any other country in the world
3. It won the Eurovision song contest twice
4. During the reign of Alexander the Great, the Kingdom of Macedonia was the most powerful state in the world.

Don’t miss our screening of The Third Half and go a little further into this wonderful country.

Ready! Steady! Guess!