A tight sense of community is not always good for you. Levan turns to his family and neighbours when decoding the diagnosis his doctor has written him. Everybody has their own amateur diagnoses which they declare full of confidence: bursitis, sclerosis, the arm has to be amputated! Even a man sitting in the neighbouring table at a café seems to know the disease. Everybody knows, except Levan himself. The horror scenarios drive poor Levan even further into the depths of potential fatal illnesses. Now he has to find a reliable doctor who can give him a positive diagnosis.

After encountering several quacks he finds his way to a hero doctor. This heavy-handed physician with a healthy dose of self-confidence declares to his patients: ”Only two things can set you free, Doctor Tabunidze – or death!” But even he is not God. Eventually Levan finds himself within a gloomy monologue after which surprising plot twists bring the spectator to the actual root of the problem.

The film does a wonderful job in capturing the absurdity of life and the black comedy, both of which thoroughly surround Levan and Irma in their Georgian hometown. The successfully – and often serendipitously – positioned camera shows that there is still room for lightness and humour despite the hard life led in Tbilis. Caring, warmth, love, hope and pure curiosity are at the core of this documentary. It brings the spice of life on your taste buds.

Text: Christa Åkerman / Translation: Anniina Hautakoski

Language: Georgian, English
Subtitles: English