Rating: 3.5/5
Anti-Criterion Challenge 2024 | 48/52 | Made in Georgia (Country)
The credits present several examples of traditional Georgian dance before introducing us to Merab, a Georgian dancer training at the National Georgian Ensemble. He performs a sequence with Mary. The teacher, Aleko, stops Mereb from being too soft in his movements and critiques Mary for letting her eyes wander instead of the stoic stare at the floor, which conveys purity. In other words, remove all sexiness from the dance. Then, Irakli, a replacement dancer with a glib attitude, interrupts rehearsal. Still, Aleko has him step in for Mereb and shows himself to have the traits that Merib lacked.
Merab and Mary also work part-time waiting jobs. Merab helps his mother pay bills with his earnings. That night, he brings some leftovers from work home. His Nona chastises him for accepting the handout like he’s poor. Merab’s mother wakes up to join them at the dinner table, asking about Merab’s brother, David, whom neither has seen lately. David shows up the following morning, hungover and exhausted, just in time to go to class.
Ioseb, Merab’s father, used to be a dance ensemble member. The director brings it up when he stops by the class for an unexpected visit. He grills Merab on Georgian dance, reminding him that dance is the very spirit of Georgia. The class learns that the ensemble is holding auditions. In the women’s locker room, Mary discovers that Zaza, the dancer they need to replace, was beaten severely when a group of men caught him having sex with another man. Meanwhile, in the men’s locker room, Irakli stirs the ire of the other boys, including Merab.
The film follows Merab as he navigates his family’s financial problems and dance training, all while navigating the complexities Irakli introduces into his life, especially when both audition for the ensemble position.
The film takes place in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, which has a 95% Christian population and a profoundly conservative bent. The plot is rather conventional in its exploration of queer longing. It gains its power by exploring it in such a repressed state. The film received numerous cancellations and protests from conservative groups, leading to several screenings having mobilized police troops guarding them.
The film explores tradition vs. individualism. The National Georgian Ensemble is an inherently traditional establishment. The dancing has no room for individual interpretation or any dance that does not convey conventional gender roles. Moreover, the traditional dances used to be softer, but around 50 years ago, they hardened the moves to further emphasize “strength” in dance. Merab has been dancing since childhood but finds it difficult to conform to the precise movements. Throughout the film, Merab discovers feelings for Irakli and that he may be gay— through this journey, he develops a dance language of his own that communicates what he doesn’t know how to say. This individual form of expression directly contrasts with the rigidity of traditional Georgian dance.
Levan Gelbakhiani, who plays Merab, looks like an attractive Ethan Slater. His performance is so sweet. Bachi Valishvili, who plays Irakli, can get it.
Georgian cursing hits hard! I gotta learn some so I can hack in someone’s face while calling them a bastard.
The scene with Robyn’s Honey lives up to the hype. Also, I wish they hadn’t cut so much in that final dance scene, but that dance goes hard.
While the film is a little long and hits many familiar beats, the performances and setting create a meaningful experience.