Shindisi

After the battle, some wounded soldiers make their way to a nearby property where the locals shelter them. It isn’t long before the Russians come looking for the soldiers. While they don’t initially find the hidden Georgian military personnel, they are more than happy to take advantage of the townsfolk by intimidating them and eating their food.

There are some tension-filled scenes of enemies dining right up there in craft with Inglourious Basterds, though they could not be more different stylistically. Shindisi opts for immersive realism over style, and that is critical to connecting us with these characters and their plight. The acting is superb, and instead of rhetorical flourishes, minimalism and even the looks on the characters’ faces tells you all you need to know. 

“…realism prevails, which makes it so much more immersive.”

There are a few moments where choices made for dramatic storytelling but don’t work perfectly. One major character goes out to gather supplies, has an encounter which is not fully shown, and then suffers the consequences later. While intended as an intense reveal, instead, it comes across as slightly confusing. There are a few other moments where the audience might not totally get what was going on, but some of them can be chalked up to cultural differences. That’s as much a strength as a weakness, though. I don’t know all the nuances and cultural expectations of Georgian life, but it is fascinating to discover them in a tension-filled wartime drama. 

Shindisi may not get a wide release around the world, as it is the kind of film that is hugely important to one group of people, and somewhat esoteric to others. Still, the themes of standing up to help people despite the risk to yourself, and resisting oppression, are universal. If you can find it at a film festival, it is well worth your time. 

Shindisi was screened at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.