★★★★☆
Kote Kalandadze’s latest film focuses on his old childhood friend Achiko, now 42, who has spent half his life addicted to drugs.
Kalandadze knew Archil (Achiko) Samkharadze back from the 1990s, having grown up in the same neighbourhood and sharing a passion for music, the latter being something that ties all of Kalandadze’s films (both fiction and documentary) together.
Like many Georgian youth of that time, Achiko tried drugs at a young age, eventually moving to Europe where he developed a severe addiction. For the past 10 years, he, along with his brother Goga, have been a part of the Georgian state methadone substitution therapy programme, which provides a routine but little hope for recovery. The idea for a film came after Achiko told Kalandadze that he not only wanted to overcome his addiction, but also to ‘return as a full member of society’.
The documentary begins just as Russia enacts its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — the conflict becomes a recurring motif throughout the film, through shots of Achiko and Goga arguing over Georgia’s position regarding the war and scenes of anti-war protest movements in central Tbilisi.
Much of the film centres on Achiko’s regular visits to the methadone clinic, where he, along with dozens of other methadone users, all men, must wait for long stretches of time, arguing amongst themselves whether someone can cut the line and move ahead.
Supporting Achiko through the process is his brother Goga, who appears to have a more steady life, despite being a part of the same programme. He drives Achiko to the clinic, provides hot showers and warm food in the family flat, and allows Achiko time to bond with his niece, eight-year-old Elene, who Achiko looks upon as a surrogate daughter.
It is clear that this latter bond is doing much to keep Achiko’s fluctuating mental health together and his crushing loneliness at bay. Kalandadze follows Achiko with his lens as he looks for new gifts to give her, watching as the two play at home or in the snow almost more like siblings than any other bond. Indeed, Achiko often appears childlike in his actions, coming across as someone just out of teenagehood rather than a man well into adulthood.
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Outside of the family visits and time spent waiting for his regular dose of methadone, Achiko does odd jobs around town, trying to scrounge enough money to survive in his tiny flat, more closet than home with no kitchen, fridge, working toilet, or heating. Yet, despite this, the social worker reviewing his case does not feel he qualifies for housing assistance.
As his situation deteriorates, leaving him forced to steal food, so do his family ties begin to fray, with Goga revoking his access to Elene, believing Achiko to be once again on drugs. It is hard to watch as this spiral continues, Achiko becoming more and more weary as the film progresses, both physically and emotionally.
Even once given some social welfare, giving him access to a free canteen, he is told that he must be added to a waiting list as there are too many people and too little food. Achiko shows his humour when asking the social worker through the phone whether this implies he should just wait around until someone dies.
Towards the end of the film, Kalandadze breaks the barrier between subject and filmmaker, capturing Achiko reviewing Kalandadze’s own editing process. It makes for an emotional scene, as Achiko recalls the big moments making up the film, all spread across Kalandadze’s wall as still photos. It is also a semi-sweet one, as Achiko appears to show much less positivity compared to earlier scenes, questioning what else should happen to him, and whether any change in his situation for the better is even possible.
Nobody in Sight is a solid entry in Kalandadze’s repertoire, marking him as someone to watch in terms of both fiction feature films and documentaries. Balancing between emotion and political context — as the film’s title suggests, there is little support in sight for those like Achiko, particularly from the government — it uncovers a subsection of Georgian society often forgotten about; it entirely deserves being awarded the EU Prize for the Best Human Rights in Cinema award for documentary film at the 26th Tbilisi International Film Festival.
Film details: Nobody in Sight (2025), directed by Kote Kalandadze, premiered in Georgia at the 26th Tbilisi International Film Festival on 5 December 2025.
