Dry Leaf

Alexandre Koberidze, Georgia’s most refreshingly original storyteller, returns with Dry Leaf, in which a middle-aged man named Irakli sets out to find his missing photographer daughter, Lisa, accompanied by an invisible friend. Their only clue is to wander from one rural football pitch to another—the very fields Lisa had been photographing. These are the deceptively simple premises of Koberidze’s latest film, which received a Special Mention from the jury at Locarno before becoming one of the year’s most celebrated discoveries among art film aficionados.

Yes, Dry Leaf was shot on a nearly 20-year-old mobile phone. The image is blurry, but all the more endearing for it. Part of the film’s pleasure lies in seeing what such an “archaic” device does to cinema, and in discovering what has been captured in its pixelated images: exquisite compositions, cats, dogs, flowers, a love of football, and people both very young and very old.

The film’s enchanting score was composed by the director’s brother, Giorgi Koberidze, while the lead role is played by their father, David Koberidze. Homemade in spirit and utterly sincere, Dry Leaf offers a welcome alternative for viewers who prefer small, meandering stories to cinematic spectacle.

Tytti Rantanen