Women filmmakers in Georgia have a rich history of using cinema to lay bare the inequalities women and girls in the country face, and In Bloom is another such heartrending entry in this tradition of cinema as resistance.

| Mar 2, 2024

If a movie is going to be so rigid in crafting a realistic setting, it should have real movement to the story. Little here is invigorating.

| Dec 8, 2020

The whole cast more than holds its own, whether its members are young or old, experienced or newcomers, but the two lead actresses are the film's anchor.

| Aug 17, 2020

Watching the fates of Eka and Natia, we begin to feel a bit glazed over ourselves.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 29, 2019

It's [the] deft balance between the light and the dark which ultimately makes In Bloom so successful.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 21, 2019

The leads are played with freshness and mischief by Lika Babluani as Eka and Mariam Bokeria as Natia.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 2, 2015

This film out of Georgia (the country, not the state) depicts a society not far removed from anarchy, or the Middle Ages, for that matter. There's not much light or laughter in this grim tale of limited choices.

| Original Score: C+ | Jun 2, 2015

Directors Nana Ekvtimshvili and Simon Gross adopt the long, contemplative takes of the new wave; much of the film feels familiar, but the location shooting and period details are nicely drawn, a result of Ekvtimshvili's autobiographical script.

| Dec 19, 2014

The performances are naturalistic and severe, especially the highly volatile families, where shouting matches are almost traumatising to hear and to watch. But ... the film ends without having said enough to satisfy us

| Nov 12, 2014

There are moments that are powerful to Ekvtimishvili that are more likely merely glancing to the audience, but the unadorned performances and air of unease combine for a film rich in social realism.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 12, 2014

Portraying lives a universe away from the malls and frippery of their Western counterparts, Eka (Lika Babluani) and Natia (Mariam Bokeria) cope with food shortages, bullying, bad families, a ramshackle education system [and] forced marriages.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 27, 2014

The young actresses however are sublime in their roles.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 26, 2014

This is a story of adolescence and female friendship under pressure, explored with a quietly engrossing combination of familiarity and strangeness.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 26, 2014

Babluani and Bokeria are completely believable as the two teenagers who have to grow up very quickly, and a long, uninterrupted scene in which the former dances, alone, at her friend's wedding is a highlight of an extremely engaging movie.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 26, 2014

Teen life in In Bloom is tense, terse, gritty, and galvanising, but for its characters, heartbreakingly, there is no other alternative.

Full Review | Sep 25, 2014

The viewer becomes keenly aware that she is only getting part of the story. But when the truth is so troubling, sometimes part of the story is more than enough.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 26, 2014

The two nonprofessional actresses shine.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 8, 2014

The centrifugal force is supplied by two stunning lead turns by Babluani and Bokeria.

| May 16, 2014

As civility and sympathy prove to be in ... short supply, the girls' unwavering devotion to each other makes for absorbing drama.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 5, 2014

This terrifically engaging work raises important questions about universal experience and cultural context - in this case, the search for independent female identity in a society all but suffocated by the threat of violence.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 4, 2014