“People act selfishly and fearfully, and this can apply to both society and individuals”
– The Georgian filmmaker dives headfirst into our beliefs and hopes in her latest moving film, set in a mining community
in his touching Citizen Saint [+lee también:
crítica
entrevista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
ficha de la película]presented in competition in Karlovy Vary and awarded with the special mention of the ecumenical jury (read the news), the Georgian director Tinatin Kajrishvili analyzes what would happen if a saint, a god, descended one day from his cross and could face the prayers of his faithful. Apparently, nothing good, or at least that’s what the miners in a small town think, suddenly deprived of their only protector.
Cineuropa: The visual aspect of Citizen Saint It makes sense, since the story revolves around a mining town. Was the degree of “darkness” you intended to achieve in the film a recurring theme between you and your cinematographer?
Tinatin Kajrishvili: It is that these people were my source of inspiration. Truly all of them spend half their lives underground—even the monks of the local churches. They are very brave and modest at the same time; they face death every day, but still they take life with humor. In fact, the scene in which the miners sing for the Saint and celebrate his presence is completely authentic. Except for the interpreter of the Saint himself [George Babluani], there is not a single actor in the sequence. They were all very enthusiastic when we explained how we wanted the scene to be. [Krum Rodriguez se encargó del rodaje]. Later, they offered to cook us a Georgian-style banquet from their own food, which they brought from home. I have to say that this was very moving.
From the way you approach spirituality in the film, it seems that pagan elements collide with organized religion, as can be seen in a sequence in which a couple refuses to offer their animal to the church. [¡es para el Santo!]
He wanted to mix different methods of worship. Some we consider normal because we are already used to them, while others we find quite disturbing. I guess this movie is more about our beliefs and hopes and not about following a certain religion.
In a way, the film constitutes a daunting perspective on humanity. A real miracle occurs—or at least that’s the idea—and we act out of fear and selfishness.
We all believe in miracles, but we set limits to this faith based on our own merits. Yes, sometimes people act selfishly and fearfully, and this can apply to society as a whole as well as individuals, as I have tried not to separate them too much. That is one of the reasons why the Saint is mute. When miners talk to him and get no answers, they just give the answer that comforts them the most. They pretend, or believe, that it really comes from him.
There are moments in which the film seems from the sixties. It has a retro side, but the fear of the miners can also be applied to our times. They fear being left alone, losing their only protection.
It’s a film of fears, hopes and beliefs, so naturally I can’t separate it from today’s world. That being said, since I find the theme of the film to be timeless, I tried to portray its world in the same way.
What did you want from your actors this time? They do everything with great subtlety.
Most of them also appeared in some of my previous movies. Mari Kitia was the protagonist in Brides [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
ficha de la película], Giorgi Bochorishvili it was in Horizon [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
ficha de la película] —just like the couple with the sheep you mentioned earlier. We have known each other for a long time, we trust each other and we have the luxury of going as far as we can. I love mixing actors and local people in movies. However, my actors got so into the role of miners that it was hard to tell them apart from those who weren’t. All the crew members were dressed as miners, and they also act in the film—the ones who appear the most are my production designer and all his assistants.
You say that the theme of the film is “timeless”. From your point of view as a filmmaker, do you feel comfortable telling these types of timeless stories?
I prefer to distance myself from things that indicate real time, as I don’t find them visually appealing. I feel a greater connection with things that leave traces of life. In Georgia, we are still very lucky in this sense, as we can find locations or objects that carry this charm of the past.
(English translation)