What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?

When Lisa and Georgi fall in love their future is threatened by the Evil Eye, which unaccountably changes their appearance overnight in Alexandre Koberidze’s work of cinematic magic and 2021 FIPRESCI winner at Berlin.

Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Alexandre Koberidze’s second feature is set in the ancient and atmospheric Georgian town of Kutaisi. After its fairy-tale opening, various mini-narratives develop, including the setting up of an ice cream stall, the football World Cup viewed on TV in various cafes (with dogs among the appreciative fans) and the making of a film about six couples. Koberidze’s poetic assembling of images focuses on the magic of the everyday: hidden rhythms, the absurd, the unnoticed and the unexpected. The chaos around us is, he suggests, only apparent. A cinematic gem, the film’s relaxed pace and friendly atmosphere give it a charm that casts quite a spell.