Blue Mountains (Eldar Shengelaia; USSR, 1984)

(Tsisperi mtebi anu arachveulebrivi/Golubye gory, a.k.a. An Unbelievable Story). An inspired satire by one of Georgia’s leading directors, Eldar Shengelaia’s Blue Mountains is a charming and disarming critique of bureaucracy. In a publishing house in Tbilisi, a writer and his manuscript submission are all but ignored as the employees, a colorful cast of characters, carry on with their private affairs and outside interests, oblivious to his needs. This deftly orchestrated study of an office environment is part Jacques Tati, part Ermanno Olmi, capturing nuanced situations with an eye for humor and timing. Blue Mountains was featured this year in the classic category at the Cannes film festival.

• Written by Revaz Cheyshvili, Shengelaia. Photographed by Levan Paatashvili. With Ramaz Giorgobiani, Vasili Kakhnishvili, Teimuraz Chirgadze, Ivan Sakvarelidze. (97 mins, In Georgian with English subtitles, Color, DCP, From Gosfilmofond)