The Antique: To Be Georgian in Russia

It wrapped filming on-location in St. Petersburg the day before Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, it is likely to be the foreign film shot in Russia for the foreseeable future (unless a Chinese production requests permits). Frankly, they did not receive a very warm-welcome, much like the Georgian characters it follows. In 2006, Georgians like Medea already faced discrimination and harassment, even before the mass-deportation. However, Medea finds an unconventional safe-ish space in Russudan Glurjidze’s The Antique, which is now streaming on Film Movement Plus.

Medea’s name is a coincidence. She never murders her children. Medea’s only sin involves antique smuggling into Russia. Even before the 2006 expulsions (which the EU Court of Human Rights ruled violated the Europpean Convention on Human Rights), Medea intuitively sought out under-the-radar living conditions. It turns out she could purchase a spacious but dilapidated flat at a surprisingly affordable price, but the other terms were unusual.

Like a Putin-era sitcom, Vadim Vadimich sells his title to Medea, but she must agree to cohabitate with him as her flat-mate. They could not be more opposite. She is a young Georgian, while he is aa crusty old Russian nationalist implied to have served in shadowy state security positions during his younger, more lucid years. However, it sort of works for a while, but bad things are brewing.

Salome Demuria lights up the screen as Medea, despite her quiet reserve. She is smart and even witty. Consequently, some of her best scenes come bantering with the disembodied voice of Manana, the owner of her dodgy antique “import/export” firm, who oversees the warehouse via surveillance cameras and speakers.

Likewise, Sergey Dreyden is quite poignant depicting Vadimich’s slow decline. Even subtitled, Leila Alibegashvili’s voice for the unseen boss drips with attitude. Plus, Vladimir Vdovichenkov stirs up their fragile flat dynamics in unpredictable ways, as Vadimich’s semi-estranged son.

Unfortunately, Glurjidze often allows the energy level flag. Her approach is too elliptical and too reserved. On the other hand, simply finishing the film constituted a considerable triumph. Reportedly, the Russian Cultural Ministry granted the film’s permits before bothering to read Glurjidze’s screenplay. Once they did, they demanded changes to her script. Subsequently, the production suffered multiple incidents of vandalism and hard-drives were confiscated at customs.

Tighter execution would have made The Antique much more accessible. However, the authenticity is unnerving and the tense, bad vibes remain naggingly hard to shake. Recommended for is gritty realism, The Antique now streams on Film Movement Plus.