In Bloom

2013

102 mins

Directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß
60%
Drama
Award Winner

Two young girls navigate the oppressive familial and societal expectations of post-Soviet Georgia in this drama, winner of the C.I.C.A.E.... More

Two young girls navigate the oppressive familial and societal expectations of post-Soviet Georgia in this drama, winner of the C.I.C.A.E. Award (awarded to significant 'art house' films) at Berlin Festival 2013.

Tbilisi, 1992: the newly independent state must fend for itself, even as civil war rages in the provinces. For 14-year-old best friends Eka (Lika Babluani) and Natia (Mariam Bokeria), their childhood in the city has come to an abrupt halt, as insecurity and fear of what the future might bring hold sway in everyday life. The introverted Eka lives in a book-filled apartment with her dismissive, boy-crazy elder sister and her preoccupied single-parent mother; precocious Natia lives in the chaotic atmosphere of a cramped apartment with her extended working-class family, dominated by her alcoholic father. But like most schoolgirls, Eka and Natia are far more concerned with life outside – classroom gossip, music, and exercising their budding sexual power over the local boys.

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Where to watch In Bloom

In Bloom is available to stream in New Zealand now... More on Google TV.

In Bloom | Ratings & Reviews

60_%84 reviews
Audience score rating

"An absorbing, intelligently assembled coming-of-ager that revolves around two pubescent gal-pals growing up in 1992, just after independence was restored."

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Variety

"The film ends without having said enough to satisfy us..."

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Urban Cinefile

"As arthouse coming-of-age films go, this is brilliant -- smart and sensitive with a screw-you feminist streak."

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Time Out

"It matter-of-factly lays out the predicaments of its characters, balancing a strong, implicit feminist sensibility with a sympathetic sense of the power of tradition."

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The New York Times

"This terrifically engaging work raises important questions about universal experience and cultural context."

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The Guardian

"It's appropriately weighty and filled with loss-of-innocence undertones and some fun cultural detours, yet the film's odd flatness makes it hard to invest in."

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