Scary Mother

Nearing fifty, Manana lives with her family in an apartment block, where, at first glance, she appears to be living the life of an exemplary housewife. Assigned this role by her husband and children, she is secretly trying to a finish a book. When it looks like her novel-a potential masterpiece-is going to be published, her secret life is revealed. Her family is horrified, and they start treating her like a disobedient child, whose capricious nature has to be tamed and who has to reminded of her duties. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, she decides to follow her passion instead of continuing to be a martyr at home. It turns out, however, that that can also be a destructive path. Just like the protagonist weaving her story together from scraps of everyday life and fantasies, the entire world of Scary Mother treads a fine line between reality and dreaming. The debut film by young Georgian director Ana Urushadze was a hit at the festivals in Locarno and Sarajevo, and it was also Georgia's submission to the Academy Awards.