Don’t Grieve aka Don’t Worry

Don’t Grieve aka Don’t Worry

1969. USSR. Directed by Giorgi Danelia. With Vakhtang Kikabidze, Sergo Zakariadze, Anastasia Virtinskaya, Sofiko Chiaureli. Danelia’s tuneful village idyll, acclaimed as one of the most “Georgian” films ever made for its proud display of song, dance, and traditional culture, follows a young and carefree country doctor who prefers drinking, dancing, and romancing to moving up the social ladder. First introduced crooning along the roadside like a Georgian Raj Kapoor, our hero dodges his vexed sister, a jealous husband, and a pompous lord while seeking out what matters: alcohol, dance, honor, and, most of all, friendship. Danelia, a nephew in the creative Chiaureli dynasty who is best known for his sci-fi satires (33, Kin-dza-dza), here creates a realm born out of Georgia itself. In Russian; English subtitles. 90 min.