Samanishvili's Stepmother

Soviet Georgian film by Eldar Shengelaia. Based on short story by D. Kldiashvili

Ertaoz travels to the city with the intent to sell a chicken and pay off his father's debts. Upon arrival, he falls for the beautiful Margalita and decides to help her dispose of her ex-lover's body. However, at the cemetery, the lover–a policeman–unexpectedly regains consciousness and arrests Ertaoz and the chicken. Ertaoz is sentenced to ten years, while the bird receives seven. In prison, they meet an inventor who has built a flying machine that runs not on fuel but the power of love.

An author – a passive young man – enters the Soviet-controlled bureaucracy of Georgia attempting to get his novel published, only to be neglected and compartmentalized at every turn.

Tragicomic understanding of life, global irony about the total falsehood and general degradation of the communist society. The last days of the passing time.

New Year's Eve. The boy Mitya, who loves to fantasize, jokingly tells his comrades at school that his children's toy watch with painted hands is magical and can stop all the clocks in the world, stop time, or even revive a snowman.

In this fantasy film inspired by a Kirghiz fairy-tale and Wilhelm Hauff's "Das kalte Herz," a powerful sorcerer puts a spell on a beautiful dancer, rendering her incapable of love until an infatuated shovel operator comes along.

The war is over. Once a young sculptor, and now a soldier, he returned home. Married, there were children. In search of work, he was hired to make grave monuments. Time passed... At one time, visiting a cemetery with friends, he saw with different eyes all his work done over the years...

A young shepherd abandons his family's traditional way of life, as well as his young love, when he succumbs to the allure of urban living.

After the defeat in elections, Refugees Eviction Minister, Giorgi Mchedlishvili, loses everything that is dear to him: the office, the car, the source of income and most importantly - power. Giorgi’s chair, which is a live being, motivates former Minister to take actions, but these efforts do not bring the desired result. In these difficult times Giorgi meets Donara, refugee women, which he marries later. New government, orders eviction of Giorgi and his Family from his house. Former Minister puts himself in confrontation first with media, and then with Magda, Giorgi’s sister in law, and because of Magda the house is surrounded by journalists and police. After unsuccessful negotiations with the SWAT team the assault begins. With the help of chair, George, manages to escape grounds unseen towards his village.

Movie Overview (English) - Required (minimum 10 characters)

“The Well” is a new short film by Eldar Shengelaia, which the director directed based on the story by Rezo Cheishvili. This is the writer and director’s third creative work. Before that, there were “Blue Mountains, or an Unbelievable Story” and “Samanishvili’s Stepmother.”

The film consists of three short stories "The Well", "Birds" and "The Song".