What a lovely film. I entered the cinema a bit flustered, given that I had just scoffed only part of a quarter chicken that I had bought in desparation; then came an expected feeling of annoyance - I just knew there would have been enough previews to allow more time for dinner. I wasn't quite expecting 30 mins of previews, though.
Since Otar Left is the story of three women (three generations of one family) in the post-Soviet republic of Georgia. Otar (son to Eka, sister to Marina, uncle to Ada) has left to live in Paris and writes and sends money. After his accidental death, Marina can't tell her Mum, who dotes on every letter and phone call. She and Ada keep the letters coming, but the lie gets out of hand and their lives change as a result.
Eka is in her nineties, but is more youthful and down to earth than Marina, who grows the least of the three throughout the story. Ada, played by the beautiful Dinara Droukarova (a little reminiscent of Pia Miranda), learns to avoid her mother's mistakes and makes her own way into the world.
Beautiful photography and settings, giving us a view into another world that is not that different from our own. It's the debut film from a French director, so we get dialogue in Georgian, Russian and French.
After the film, I discovered that - as nice as cherries, chocolate and pancakes are individually - the combination is too dry. Pancakes need liquid, such as maple syrup. In this case, they should have used runny cream instead of double-thick, Of-Mice-And-Men style cream.
