The Guardian

Tbilisi, 1994. After the fall of the Soviet system and the chaos of civil war, Georgia is controlled by criminal gangs. In the aftermath of a shootout that kills his best friend Gio, Gogliko is sent to prison. Fifteen years later, Gogliko is a free man in a changed country. His parents are dead and most of his friends were killed in the war. Unsure how to navigate this “new” Georgia, he concentrates on protecting Gio’s teenage son. Luka is an A student with a girlfriend named Tika and interests in computers and politics, about which his guardian has no clue. Gogliko sticks to what he knows – how to get rid of Luka’s rival, how to treat elders with respect, and how to stand by his friends. But Tika’s father, a Member of Parliament, takes violent objection to her relationship with Luka. Gogliko will protect his godson as only he knows how. THE GUARDIAN is a wry, offbeat drama from a fascinating country we seldom see on screen. (In Georgian with subtitles) – B.B.