THE ECCENTRICS (aka SHEREKILEBI)

Eldar Shengelaia’s THE ECCENTRICS is a Soviet Georgian satire, and like the best Georgian comedies of that period it turns absurdity into a way of looking at bureaucracy, vanity, public life, and the strange rituals of official culture. It's playful, pointed, and full of the kind of comic exaggeration that Georgian cinema has always handled particularly well. The film belongs to a tradition where foolishness is rarely innocent and institutions always seem slightly ridiculous.

For audiences who know Shengelaia or the broader tradition of Georgian satire, this is a treat. For audiences discovering it for the first time, it's also a chance to see how funny and distinct Georgian comic cinema can be when it is allowed to get mischievous.