Mark and Barb Go to the Movies

Since Otar Left (dir. Julie Bertuccelli) A small treasure. Three generations of women in Tiblisi cope with the decay of the Soviet dream in the new Georgia--where enterpreneurial capitalism means families selling off heirlooms one by one to pay for food and (irregular) electricity to live. All have hopes pinned on their family member Otar, who has left for medical studies in Paris. The grandmother lives for Otar's letters and calls; the mother (Otar's sister) for her boyfriend and daughter; the daughter for dreams of success in the new, corporate Euroworld. The movie is beautifully photographed (who knew Georgia was so gorgeous, even with Stalin-era tenements littering the horizon?), written and acted--especially by Esther Gorintin (who, I heard, started acting in her 70s) as the grandmother. And no joke, bring tissues--'cause this movie is the best kind of non-tearjerking heartbreaker. Mark's review: ****