Dede

Very good movie about old customs in stunning part of Georgia "svaneti", beautiful views, i recommend everyone to watch this movie

With simple, slow-moving scenario, the film is beautifully made in terms of cinematography, amazing scenery and settings, but also casting. The actors all appeared as if they were real local mountain villagers, particularly the elderly ones. The villages where the action takes place were straight out of the Middle Ages. I was fascinated to look at the details of the interior of houses, the furniture, the utensils, bedding, clothing. Even though the film takes place in modern era, time up in this mountainous area of Georgia looks to have stood still. Adherence to traditional values and to religion is evident throughout the film. Some scenes really stuck to mind, the heavy snow covered village rooftops and pathways, the horse-racing women riders, the little boy singing at the top of his voice while the little girl of same age next to him nodding off. There's not much to write about the plot, but it is a film worth watching because of the way it is made...

An excellent directorial debut from Mariam Khatchvani, beautifully framed and shot. She makes hard narrative choices, to sympathetically show the extant tension between conservative traditions, and a young woman's desire for autonomy - all within the framework of a love story destined for a tragic end.

Based on real events, and showcasing a turbulent period in recent Georgian history, it is a story that could be from many places, and is all the more remarkable for how recently the story is set.

Khatchvani directs with a light touch, and gets wonderful and credible performances from many local people who make up her cast, much in the same vein as Pasolini.

Minor missteps in pacing and editing are easily forgiven for the sure hand shown in shooting and framing the narrative - the village of Ushguli and its beautiful surrounding mountains play as much a character as any of the actors. Absolutely worth your time.

The film DEDE impressed me deeply. It combines cultural history with a tragic cinematic story. It is document and art at the same time. Masterful! In addition, this high performance was achieved through the participation of mostly amateur actors. They were all and are Svans. The film DEDE is an extraordinary project. Anyone who visits Ushguli or Svaneti these days will not only learn about the fate of women in a film, but also about history. Everything designed up close. The great camera work and the impressive faces are also impressive. When I come to Georgia, to Mestia or to Ushguli, I see the film DEDE again and again. Aesthetically, this film has great power. I can only recommend this film to everyone.

The images of the landscapes in Georgia's mountainous Svaneti region are the only good points in this oversentimental melodrama. But at some point even the imagery becomes unbearable when viewers become aware of the main storyline which does not go further than superficially dangerous affairs. Lots of movies like this produced in Georgia only to get their producers on to Eurpean stage. Art needs talent, technique and wit all at the same time. Showoffs help only in short term.