Dangers of Mediocrity (Andy Garcia or Mikheil Saakashvili?)

Giorgi Gvakharia, Radio Liberty

3 years ago some Armenian colleagues of mine told me the story of making the film The Lark Farm by Italian directors Paolo and Vittorio Tavianis. They had invited them to Yerevan, to the film festival and passed the books on Armenian-Turkish relations, namely the “genocide of Armenians” called so by part of the world. They straightforwardly offered them to make a movie if they were interested in covering the tragic events of twentieth century.

Tavianis were so touched by these books that in several days after returning to Italy they stated that they are going to make a movie on Armenian genocide. By using the word “genocide” they acknowledged that their film was going to be “pro-Armenian.”

The film is nothing big. It cannot even be compared to previous films of Tavianis. But their fame and reputation has not suffered. The Lark Farm was shown to numerous big film festivals and was sold profitably. The song “Ov, Sirun, Sirun” is still popular. The word “genocide” has become familiar to the people who had no idea what happened in Turkey.

Georgia has also “ordered” the Western director to make a movie. Renny Harlin was selected to cover the tragic days of August 2008 in his film. It no longer matters who selected him and who ordered this movie called “Georgia” in the beginning then changed to Five Days of August. The movie was made. On May 18th the “Pro-Georgian film” was shown at the fair of Cannes Film Festival (and not at the festival) in the hall of the hotel. It is doubtful that this movie will win more friends for Georgia. On the other hand, the mediocrity can estrange us with the people who singlehandedly supported us in the “Georgian-Russian” war. If we perceive the film “with Georgian eyes and ears” we will definitely laugh at Andy Garcia’s English.

Mikheil Saakashvili certainly does not speak bad English. This movie reminds us Soviet films made on world war theme – Stalin, Beria and others speaking with Georgian accent (here you can see Kakha Lomaia, Davit Kezherashvili and Temur Iakobashvili performed by very bad actors). This and plus rectilineal dramaturgy, extremely propagandist coverage of the conflict and instead of propaganda (nobody doubted that Five Days of August was planned to be a propagandist film that would depict Georgia as a victim of big Russian Empire) we received “anti-propaganda.” The Russian soldiers are depicted just like the fascists in weak Soviet films – like caricatures.

Basically, the Five Days of August is like the war caricature. I got the impression that the director of the movie liked playing tank game in his childhood and now he was given a chance to satisfy his passion by using airplanes and tanks, bloody faces, brave Georgians, Americans and evil, unconscious Russians. Add one more misunderstanding – Georgians speaking English and foreigners playing Russians, partly speaking Georgian and Russian. Here is a real comedy! Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress from Morocco by origin, plays one of the main characters of the movie - Tatia. Her Georgian is so funny that instead of compassion, one starts laughing. When you see Givi Sikharulidze besides Saakashvili-Garcia at the end in the role of some President, it might seem like you are watching a real good comedy.

I am sure nobody can explain why it was necessary to invite Andy Garcia in the role of President Saakashvili. He is indeed artificial while “eating his necktie”. Why the authors did not use the records where Saakashvili plays himself. There might be commercial interests here – as if the foreign star is a guarantee for commercial success of film. Another question arises here – when foreign audience watches this movie, what will they see, tanks, airplanes and bloody faces? - Yes. The characters which should evoke compassion? – No. Georgian and US flags? – Yes. More or less objective evaluations of the 2008 events which make us think? – No. Beautiful views of Georgia which evokes desire in the Western viewers to visit this country? – Yes. Real Georgia with pains that people had before the war and that the war has intensified them more? – No. After all this, it is hard to understand who the Five Days of August was made for. If it was made only for the viewers of this genre, then sorry, these kinds of movies are so many, that it is doubtful that the fans of this genre will get excited by the film where there is a lot of blood, but “the reason of blood” is not shown. The reasonless blood always creates a doubt in the movie that the authors just used a lot of red paint.

A bad movie on very painful five days for every Georgian citizen could have been tolerated if not the extreme infantilism of Georgian high officials and official media. Who could believe that some big film festival would ever include this film in its contest? Why are you lying to us? Why are you repeating these two words “Cannes film festival” shamelessly? Who can hide the fact that The Five Days of August was only shown at the fair of Cannes film festival, a place where any studio can show their new movie if you pay money?

The snobbism so typical for Georgian cinema world is still relevant here: “Did you see the stars?”

I know I will be asked this year if I saw Andy Garcia. And when I say that he has not even visited Cannes, people will be surprised. How come, did not The Five Days of August premiered at Cannes? – They will state.