Snowflakes fall together in Georgian director’s poignant personal film

By Viola Ke

Georgian-born director Bakur Bakuradze brought his autobiographical new movie “Snowflakes in My Yard” to the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival to strive for the highest Golden Globe Awards.

In this long-awaited latest work, he not only directed the film but also starred in it, incorporating his poignant personal experiences into the narrative.

In the movie, Givi lived in Moscow, a bustling city where he worked as a film director. His life was far from perfect, burdened by family problems and the relentless pressures of his career.

On the other hand, Levan lived in Tbilisi, a world away, leading a solitary existence that bordered on homelessness. For many years, they had no contact, their lives seemingly disconnected and worlds apart.

One day, Givi stumbled upon Levan's profile on Facebook. Memories from their shared childhood flooded back, and he decided to reach out.

To his surprise, Levan responded warmly, and soon they were reminiscing about the old days, their friendship reignited by sparks of nostalgia.

Despite the vast differences in their current lives, their conversations grew deeper and more meaningful.

"This movie holds a special significance for me because it is based on my personal experiences," said Bakuradze. He had accidentally reconnected with an old schoolmate through social media.

"My first reaction was to help him materially, as he was genuinely in need. However, providing such assistance proved challenging,” the director said.

“I constantly struggled with finding the right approach and words to ensure that my help didn't hurt his pride. Whether it was sending money or buying him things, I made considerable efforts to support him. In the early stages, misunderstandings and lack of comprehension often arose."

Eventually, Bakuradze realized that teaching his friend how to fish might be better than just giving him a fish and decided to help him find a job.

"He began writing the initial draft of his life story very quickly, but it resembled a diary, detailing his daily activities like when he woke up, what he ate, and his memories from our shared childhood. He also recounted what he had done during the 15 years we had lost contact," Bakuradze said.

After reviewing the diary-like draft, Bakuradze found it to be an interesting story.

"The final script of the movie was a combination of his daily records, my own life experiences, and a bit of artistic embellishment," he said.

"Friendship between men has its unique characteristics. They often find it difficult to express their feelings, and sometimes, everything is understood without words," he added.

He noted why the movie has virtually no musical score and features minimal direct interaction between the main characters.