Julie Bertucelli
Da Quando Otar E' Partito

Grandmother Eka, her daughter Marina, and granddaughter Ada live in Tbilisi, Georgia in the year 2000, but it feels like the seventies given the backwardness of everything, from the phone to the means of transportation. Grandmother Eka is around eighty years old, a staunch Stalinist, and lives in the sweet memory of her son Otar who, a medical student in Moscow, chose to leave his studies and emigrate to Paris to send some money home.

Her memory of him is kept alive by the letters he sends regularly - to read which Eka prepares almost religiously - and the less frequent phone calls. Marina is a war widow; her husband died during the war in Afghanistan, and she makes a living by selling whatever is unnecessary at home at the market, along with her new partner. Ada, her daughter, is a young language student; she is the character to whom hope can be entrusted, so granite-like are the mother, in her serene and non-illusionary acceptance of her destiny, and the grandmother, in her regret for a less-bad past. Ada is restless, mocking her partner who wants to emigrate, but she also knows that the future in her country could not offer her what she expects. The entire family, for generations, has admired French culture and owns a dusty collection of French editions, never read, but which take up considerable space in the house, and which no one would dream of selling. They also own a dacha in the countryside where they go to vacation and collect fruit, and where grandmother Eka has gathered all of Otar's things in a room.

During a party, Marina receives a phone call and learns that her brother Otar has been involved in a serious accident. She goes to the embassy with her daughter, and an anonymous official informs her of the brother's death. The first thought goes to grandmother Eka, who will be told nothing: Ada will write fake letters from Otar from Paris, and Marina, where possible, will save money to include a bit of money. How long can this pretense continue? Until grandmother Eka decides to sell the collection of books to buy three plane tickets to Paris. Marina and Ada, who cannot stand this charade, will accompany her to Paris and lie to her until the end.

Julie Bertucelli, in her first film, directs with naturalistic attention and lightness three incredibly talented actresses, especially the ninety-year-old Esther Gorintin (debuting in cinema at 83 and still going!) who delivers an applause-worthy performance, full of glances and gentle movements, and maintains a sincere and fresh emotion throughout the entire film, culminating in a finale with a double surprise.

A perfect detox from Hollywood films and mainstream TV dramas.