Peristsvaleba (Limits)

Cheerful atmosphere among friends, children playing, eating, and engaging in conversations. Theater director Givi is deeply immersed in staging a new play. On his way home from the cinema, he witnesses an act of violence but does not intervene. Consumed by guilt over his inaction, he begins to question everything—his art, his life, and increasingly, his love for Eka, an archaeology student. How can someone indifferent to life create art?

Focusing on existential moral questions, Gogoberidze weaves nuanced observations of contemporary life into the group dynamics: Sofiko Chiaureli as the mother always laden with shopping bags, determined to build an art studio for her grieving painter friend; Rusudan Kiknadze as Eka, a popular beauty compared to Marina Vlady, who dances wildly to Ray Charles at an impromptu party.

Once again, the Soviet film authorities were unimpressed with Gogoberidze’s choice of themes and aesthetics. Only 19 copies of the film were made, which was almost equivalent to a ban. (Gaby Babić/Barbara Wurm)

Photo: Arsenal Berlin