Choosing to live alone in a small Georgian village, Etero Gelbakhiani, 48, is content in living an independent life, despite the small town gossip, until she unexpectedly falls in love with a married man.
The take
We all know that remaining unmarried when middle-aged doesn’t mean one is lacking, but even when we can acknowledge how dated this idea is, for women, there’s still the societal pressure, the loneliness, and the feeling of having missed an opportunity to have children. Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry is centered on one such middle-aged woman living in a small town in Georgia, and she has a fairly peaceful life… until she nearly dies and shortly forms an attraction to another man. Director and co-writer Elene Naveriani takes her time to delve deep into Etero’s story, the complicated grief she has towards the men that have raised her, as well as the spite towards the arbitrary goals other women have reached and made fun of her for. The journey does take a rather slow burn, but it’s wonderful to see a film so empathetic and nuanced about this dilemma, and free from the judgment many women have encountered on this topic.
What stands out
Eka Chavleishvili is terrific. She has exactly the type of presence that makes Etero an inspiration to the younger women in the village, the kind that comes from the inner certainty of knowing and accepting exactly who she is.