The Day Is Longer than the Night

The Day Is Longer than the Night

1984. USSR. Directed by Lana Gogoberidze. With Deredjan Kharchiadze, Tamara Skhirtladze, Guram Pirtskhalava, Irakli Khizanichvili. Distinguished by its location shooting, eye for traditional customs, and appealing performances, this ballad follows the life of Eva from the turn of the century through various milestones, both personal and historic. Each dramatic episode is linked to the next by a troupe of actors and musicians, who offer their own commentary. Gogoberidze’s film premiered in competition in Cannes in 1984, a high point in a career that included a string of remarkable films between 1958 and 1992, mostly in collaboration with screenwriter Zaira Arsenishvili (When Almonds Blossomed, The Little Incident, Some Interviews on Personal Matters, Whirlwind, and The Waltz on the Pechora). Her daughter, director Salomé Alexi, also worked with Arsenishvili on her Felicità. In Georgian; English subtitles. 105 min.