A story unfolding during the transition period: a tale about growing up in Georgia in early 1990s, during the raging civil war and reign of terror.
1992 in Tbilisi, the capital of the newly independent Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country is facing violence, war on the Black Sea coast and vigilante justice. Eka and her friend Natia are best friends in that turbulent way only 13-year-old girls can be. They often bicker but find more solace in each other’s company than they do at home. Pretty Natia has already caught the eye of several local boys, including handsome Lado, who plans to go to Moscow. Lado gives Natia a revolver for her protection while he’s away, an odd love token that becomes an object of fascination between the girls, who end up using it in different ways over the course of the narrative.
»Our characters are in search of their identity as women and of the meaning of violence, revenge, and love. They seek an answer to the question of whether love can justify killing a human being. The answer seems clear: no, of course not! But what if this question is thrust upon one when one has only fourteen years of life experience and lives in a country ruled by chaos, anarchy, and vigilantism? What role models does one have? Which set of values offers the best chances for survival?«
- Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Gross
Nana Ekvtimishvili
Born in 1978 in Tbilisi, Georgia, Ekvtimishvili studied screenwriting in Potsdam, Germany. In Georgia, she founded her own production company, Polare Film. Inspired by memories of her youth, In Bloom marks her feature debut.
Simon Gross
Born in 1976 in Berlin, Gross studied film directing in Munich. After directing several short films, he shot his debut feature Fata Morgana in Morocco in 2006. He founded his own production companies in Germany and Georgia.