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AND THEN WE DANCED
Director: Levan Akin Cast: Levan Gelbakhiani, Bachi Valishvili, Ana Javakishvili, Giorgi Tsereteli, Tamar Bukhnikashvili, Marika Gogichaishvili, Kakha Gogidze, Levan Gabrava MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:53 Release Date: 2/7/20 (limited); 2/14/20 (wider) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | February 13, 2020 Set in a world of tradition and conservatism, And Then We Danced is about a young man, a dancer-in-training, who desperately wants to become a professional. The story takes place in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where a traditional type of dancing has persisted for centuries. Random people on the street can perform them—although not as well as those who have been trained. There's no room for any personality or uniqueness in these dances, and there seems to be little room for any personality or uniqueness in this society. Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) has been dancing as long as he can remember. His mother, father, and paternal grandmother were once professional dancers, and he hopes one day to make the ensemble of the academy where he receives daily lessons. The film, written and directed by Levan Akin, immediately establishes a strange contradiction in this dance form. Dance is all about personal expression, but in this case, that expression is intended only for a rigid adherence to specific movements and a precise attitude. Merab's teacher Aleko (Kakha Gogidze) scolds anyone for even a hint of going against tradition. Merab's dance partner and semi-girlfriend Mary (Ana Javakishvili) is chastised for looking at Merab in a way that isn't exactly "virginal." This belief extends to the dancers' personal lives, too. Rumors have spread that one man, a member of the ensemble, was kicked out and sent to a monastery, because he was caught with another man. Enter Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), an extremely talented dancer who is Merab's main competition for taking the spot left absent by the ostracized ensemble member. Merab looks at him with envy, then with resentment, then with grudging admiration, and then with long stares that take this story into more sexual and romantic terrain. Akin addresses the internal and external challenges of such a relationship in this place and among people whose attitudes are as traditional as their dancing. The heart of the film, though, is in Merab's personal evolution—from a man whose dreams are based on the beliefs of others to one whose dreams gradually become his own. The climax of And Then We Danced is, as one should expect, a scene of dance, in which Merab must decide in the moment if his art is for himself or for others. Without saying a word, he expresses all that needs to be said. Copyright © 2020 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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