In the beginning of “Beginning” is the Word: a well-known Bible story, retold and unpacked during an afternoon meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “What is the moral of this story?” asks the minister, David (Rati Oneli), before later adding, “How should a true Christian behave in everyday life?” No answer is immediately forthcoming: Without warning, a Molotov cocktail is hurled into the crowded Kingdom Hall, igniting a tableau of fiery (and, it seems, not unprecedented) chaos. Images of destruction and screams of horror aside, the congregants escape as quickly as possible, and a hushed, eerie calm descends on the scenes that follow. For this religious community, you suspect, even violent persecution has become just one more of life’s soul-crushing rituals.
Photo: Wild Bunch
Inside the viewfinder of a camera lies an entire world. Few films are as acutely aware of this fact as
Beginning, Georgia’s official entry into this year’s Oscars race and the feature debut of director Déa Kulumbegashvili. (It was also the recipient of high-profile awards at the San Sebastián and Toronto international film festivals.) Shot in a claustrophobic 1:33:1 aspect ratio, Kulumbegashvili’s film thoughtfully utilizes not only the space within the frame but also what lies just beyond it to transport the viewer into its protagonist’s fragile mental state. Amid moments of extreme stillness, violence crouches just out of sight, waiting for the characters and the audience to let down their guard.
Georgian/French Coproduction Beginning Acquired by MUBI
TBILISI: Dea Kulumbegashvili’s film
Beginning has been acquired by the streaming platform Mubi for the USA and UK (Svod Release). This Georgian/French coproduction was selected for Cannes 2020 Official Selection. Paris-based Wild Bunch International is handling the sales. The release date is 29 January 2021.
In a sleepy provincial town, a Jehovah’s Witness community is attacked by an extremist group. In the midst of this conflict, the familiar world of Yana, the wife of the community leader, slowly crumbles. Yana’s inner discontent grows as she struggles to make sense of her desires.