December 3, 2014, 7:30 p.m. — The Other Bank (2009), April Chill (2010)
The Other Bank
2009. Georgia/Kazakhstan. Directed by George Ovashvili. With Tedo Bekhauri, Galoba Gambaria, Nika Alajajev. In an astounding performance, 12-year-old Bekhauri plays Tedo, a young boy displaced by the war in Abkhasia who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders as he tries to make ends meet in a shanty town just outside Tbilisi. Instead of going to school he toils in an auto shop and attempts to save his mother from sliding into prostitution. Mature beyond his age but young enough to believe in miracles, Tedo decides to make his way back to Abhkasia to locate the ailing father they left behind. His journey is fraught with danger as lawlessness rules the land and he has no allies but his optimism. This is an uncommonly strong feature debut. In Georgian, Abkhazian, Russian; with English subtitles. 90 min.
