★★☆☆☆
Georgian director Vakhtang Jajanidze’s first feature film explores selfishness, alienation, and loveless relationships within two families.
Loosely based on Teona Dolenjashvili’s novel of the same name, The Real Beings follows two families as they try to enjoy a vacation out in the countryside, amidst western Georgia’s remote wetlands.
One the one side are married couple Tengo (Temiko Chichinadze) and Keta (Eka Nijaradze) with young daughter Bebe (Taso Bokuchava) — on the other Mika (Apolon Kublashvili) and Lana (Nutsa Kukhianidze) with teenage daughter Nia (Nina Eradze) and younger son Datuna (Demetre Kavelashvili). Keta and Lana happen to have a slight acquaintance, having previously populated the same swimming pool in Tbilisi, which draws the two families together as they all struggle to find things to do out in nature, away from city life.
Each character follows a pretty standard narrative role, Nia as the sullen teenager intent on having her independence, Datuna as the technology-obsessed boy with somewhat violent tendencies, Lana and Keta as looks-obsessed career women, too focused on their own pleasure to attend to their children’s needs, their husbands just as oblivious in their own aims, Mika’s being to have an affair and Tengo’s to get his photographic work done. Only Bebe stands apart from these more selfish characters, though she herself is the typical archetype of an innocent young girl immersed in nature, seeking love and companionship from those around her.
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The film is slow-paced, taking its time to linger on the stunning nature surrounding the characters, though they themselves, minus Bebe and potentially Tengo, don’t seem to see the charm.
There is also a sly humour in many of the scenes, such as when the women announce they will visit the lake, the next scene showing a long static shot of them walking to a small pond amidst a forest clearing.
Yet, at the same time, the story itself is rather formulaic, following the classic parable of the tragedies that can occur when people become too self-obsessed. Much of what occurs is rather obvious, though there is still some fun to be had in getting there. Overall, however, it is not really worth the nearly 100-minute run-time, especially given the lack of clarity in the actual ending and whether any lessons are actually learnt amongst the cast of characters.
Film details: The Real Beings (2025), directed by Vakhtang Jajanidze, premiered at the 26th Tbilisi International Film Festival on 5 December 2025. It is available to stream on Cavea+.
