Kirpianuscus a film about alternative lives. and about the expected letters. three women. France. and the name of a man. result - a precise - delicate form of poetry. a film about small and significant small things. nothing unexpected. only nostalgic, soft and bitter. like the flavor of old perfumes. a film about East. tender and impressive and convincing. a kind of family photo album. or a fresco about a family looking its happiness in lines of letter, sounds of a language, in a trip and the emotions behind a meet. it is bizarre to write about "Since Otar left". because it seems be a so familiar story for the public from East than it becomes a confession of viewer. but not only the story, cultural references or the map of different realities are precious. but the beautiful performances. so, a film who must see .

JustApt Post-Soviet Georgia, impoverishment and depression, an old and unwell mother lives with her daughter and granddaughter while her dear son who is a doctor due to unemployment has gone to France as a working man. The mother lives in constant waiting for a next letter from him or a telephone call and to see Otar again before her death became a sole purpose of her life. One day her daughter learns that her brother has died in an accident, she is afraid for her mother so both younger women hide the grave news. They begin to falsify letters and show them to the old woman who begins to suspect that something is wrong. The psychological drama Since Otar Left is extremely sad and compassionate film.

Felix-28 I was hoping this film would be good, and expecting it to be, but I was disappointed by it.For me, the basic premise was not acceptable. Otar had gone to Paris and was working there, apparently illegally. In a situation like that, he would have been in contact with a whole network of illegal immigrants, mostly from his own country, and they in turn would have been in contact with relatives at home in Georgia. The relatives at home would have been in contact with each other, with news from the expats in France. Otar's death would have been well known, and it could not have been kept from his mother for months, as it supposedly was.Also, the trip to Paris at the end. Just what did the sister and daughter think was going to happen in Paris? Did they really think that the mother would not find out?And then the scene at the end, where the grandmother announces that Otar's gone to America. Really, it was just a bit too much to swallow. Not to mention the daughter deciding to stay in Paris at the last moment: not only is it impossible for non-passengers to see passengers in the gatelounge of an international departure, but a considerable question arises about what the daughter would have done alone in Paris without a visa or any money. In reality, probably end up in a brothel, unless she could look for support from some network of friends, such as the one that would have included Otar until he died ...Even the scenes in Georgia: they seemed to live in a fairly spacious apartment, and to have plenty to eat and drink, not to mention the dacha in the country. Obviously there were all sorts of problems with the electricity and water, and they spoke about a harsh winter, but we didn't really see a lot of harshness, especially considering that the family seemed to have no substantial income at all. And there seemed to be an awful lot of summer in that particular part of Georgia.Sort of a nice idea, but not very well done. Watchable, and the actresses were good. 6/10.

Sinnerman I have always professed a weakness for films about fathers and sons, or more broadly, those which can make me weep. Since Otar Left did none of the above. No matter, as the layers of truths revealed in Since Otar Left astounded me. For instance, this film understood middle-aged daughters. To a certain degree, they are jealous of the perceived greater affection their mothers have for sons. (I have seen such mindsets in my relations). This self-doubtful disgruntlement may not degrade their love, but it imprisons them all the same. Sadly, by the time a person (man or woman) reaches middle-age, a dogmatic mind invariably sets in. Reconciliation on above regretful things is hence, no longer an easy thing. Swinging from the pivot of middle age lies two extremes of womanhood, youth and old age. Throughout, the grandmother displayed surprising power and tenacity. Her resolve to find her son and her acceptance of what she found, speaks volume about the steely strengths stored in those whom we'd often think too weak. The young granddaughter is idealistic, quiet but undeniably seething with latent anger. Blessed with uncanny intuition, she sees her spirits slowly sucked dry by the failure of the system and the heavy baggage of her family. Her ambitious decisiveness in breaking free from her chains, is symbolic and uplifting. It helped the film to end on a genuinely hopeful note. On another level, there's a running theme in films I particularly respond to; the telling of "lies". "So what if we know (about the lies told)?" "So what if we don't know?" Goodbye Lenin attempted to essay this morality conundrum with a son hiding from his mother, the fall of a socio-political system. By shading its arguable propaganda with the sensitivity of familial love and stunning piety, that film dispensed a balmy mix of warmth and sincerity. Thus heartening tears were shed by this sentimental sod. That said, it is now my opinion that the "tearless" Since Otar Left embraced so much more of above tricky theme. By film's end, it delivered something which only the greatest films do; invaluable human lessons. We may have been told lies or are guilty of telling them. But if we take the time to unravel the "truths" behind them, the lies may no longer matter. For sometimes, the purity of good intentions may suffice. Hence IMO, to hail Since Otar Left as a life affirming masterpiece is highly justifiable. In a mere 100 odd minutes, it dethreaded the complex tapestry of the human heart and distilled life's essence into basic building blocks like trust, hope, kinship and unconditional love. It exudes goodness of heart and truthfulness of emotions. This effortlessly cathartic film shall receive the Sinnerman's stamp of approval till my saliva-laced ink run dry. In closing, I think films like Since Otar Left cement my faith in a most purposeful of religions; cinema. For bit by bit, they shape my being and nourish my spiritual hunger. All in, they fuel my desire to chase for life's meanings. Hopefully, when this search is over, I will be found.