Georgica

Running time: 109 mins

Jakub, an ex-missionary, lives alone on a deserted island. Well, almost alone. He's got his horse, a hive of bees, and the fighter planes that use the island for nighttime bombing missions. The arrival of a young, mute boy, however, will alter Jakub's not-so-peaceful existence. Jakub's motives are normal enough - simple human companionship - and he quickly schools the boy on their environment. For starters, during bombing runs, Jakub takes the boy to the church tower to watch the explosions through a periscope. Jakub never forces the boy to speak. There is a kind of mutual understanding between the two, although they are, in many ways, worlds apart. Both are haunted by memories that often consume them. The boy's are of his mother and Jakub's, of his life in Africa, fuelled by faded and much pored over photographs. Georgica is one of those rare films whose poetic insights find stark beauty in the simplest human emotions. Director Sulev Keedus has forged a mysterious connection between Jakub and the boy and their ambivalent quests, resulting in an alluring and enigmatic work of cinema. --Mike Rabehl