Arare,hystericalgemfromearlySovietcinema.CHEMIBEBIA(MYGRANDMOTHER)isaGeorgianavant-gardeslapsticksilentcomedythatwasbannedintheSovietUnionforalmost50years.Andit’sprettyeasytoseewhy.WhereaslaterGeorgianfilmmakersbecameratheradeptatslippingpoliticalcriticismunderthenosesoftheSovietcensors,thisfilmendswithacompletelyunambiguousrallyingcallforthedeathofbureaucrats.LotsofthecreativetechniquesoneassociateswithearlySovietcinemaareondisplayhere,buttheyarefilteredthroughasieveofearlyAmericanslapstickandusedmostly(andmostsuccessfully)forcomedy.ImagineHaroldLloydstarringinTerryGilliam’sBRAZILandyou’llstarttogetanideaofwhatMYGRANDMOTHERislike.It’shilarious,andhistoricallyit’sinterestingtowatchinthatit’sjustaspoliticallyobviousasanyotherearlySovietfilm,butinanentirelydifferentway.Imaginative,innovative,amazing!Thisisawonderfulfilmthatworksonsomanylevels.Asafarce,it’suptherewithCharlieChaplinorMonsieurHulot.It’sreallyfunny.Thescoreisabsolutelybrilliant.Theactingistop-notch.Asasatireoncorruptionandbureaucracy,ithitsthenailonthehead.Theelementsofsurrealismworktremendouslywellinacting,setsandscenes:justextremeenoughtomakethepointwellwithoutlosingtouchwiththeunderlyingreality.Throughallthis,keythemesaremaintained.Thedirectoralsoplayseffortlesslywithgender,ageandhierarchicalroles,switchingandunderminingthemrelentlessly.Innovativefilmtechniques,too,areusedexceptionallywell:puppetry,collage,distortionplusmanymore.Onecoulddoubtlessseethisfilmadozentimesandstillfindsomethingnew.
