A sturdy if somewhat bleak drama, Since Otar Left captures the lives of three Georgian women whom the titular character, a medical student, left behind in his efforts to find a better life for himself in Paris. The tthree women, his tough as old boots 90-year-old mother Eka (Gorintin); his sister, Marina (Khomassouridze); and Marina's daughter, the wilful Ada (Droukarova), all live in a crumbling apartment in the bleak Tiblisi. Despite the fact that Otar left his family behind in his bid for a better life, Eka won't have a bad word said against her beloved son, who is the apple of her eye. When word comes back from Paris that Otar has died while working illegally on a construction site, Marina and Ada are afraid to tell their mother the bad news for fear it will break her heart. Though his name features in the title, Since Otar left doesn't much concern itself with his plight. Rather this is essentially a study into three generations of Georgian women, which could in turn be seen as a metaphor for the various stages of life itself. The interactions of the women are handled with an acute emotional intelligence by the director, who coaxes excellent performances from her trio of talented actresses. Not so assured is her handling of the story - which occasionally veers uncomfortably close to farce. After a skilful if heavy first half of the film, Bertucelli fatally changes tack, a move that undermines the strength of the work which has gone before.
