Varlam Aravidze, the despotic mayor of a small Georgian city, dies. In the days following his funeral, his tomb is mysteriously looted, and his corpse appears in the most unusual places. Eventually, the police arrest a local individual who is believed to be the responsible. Through flashbacks and dreamlike scenes, we witness Varlam’s rise, power, and ambiguities. Arvo Pärt's work Tabula rasa is heard twice throughout the film.
- Duration: 153’
- Production year: 1984
- Country: SU
- Language: GE, RU, DE, IT Subtitles: PT
Cannes Film Festival 1987 – Grand Prize of the Jury, FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Golden Globes 1988 – Nominee Best Foreign Language Film
