X
- 2020
- Not Rated
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
- 2020
- Not Rated
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
Summary A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli—gifted with perfect form and equipped w...
Directed By: Levan Akin
Written By: Levan Akin
- 2020
- Not Rated
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
- 2020
- Not Rated
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
And Then We Danced
68
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli—gifted with perfect form and equipped w...
Directed By: Levan Akin
Written By: Levan Akin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
68
75% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
25% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
68
75% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
25% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The result is at once empowering . . . heart-wrenching . . . and inspirational.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
7.5
77% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
17% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
7.5
77% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
17% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
'And Then We Danced' is your by-the-numbers coming-of-age film, but what a film!
You really care about these characters, especially Merab — a dancer discovering his sexual identity —, whose joyous and frustrating moments round out a very compelling protagonist. Levan Gelbakhiani acting's very good, and I hope to see him again soon in another film. The tenderness he projects is astounding.
As you will expect, this is a movie about going against the establishment. Director Levan Akin paints a portrait of the youth in Georgia — a country where **** is still taboo, and where old people expect the young to act per traditions. With Merab, Irakli (his rival and love interest), and even Merab's problematic brother, Akin — who is of Georgian descent — defies the concepts of masculinity, love, and tradition. Kudos to Georgian cinema! With their films, Dea Kulumbegashvili and Akin are giving a glimpse of their culture (the good and the bad) to the world. Can't wait for Alexandre Koberidze's new film.
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This is a love story from Swedish director Levan Akin who is ethnically Georgian. The whole action takes place in Tbilisi, the capitol of Georgia. The protagonist Merab is a young dancer for whom dancing is his whole life. He practices to join National Georgian Ensemble, the highest level of traditional Georgian folk dancing. His aspirations hit a wall of intolerance in Georgian society of today.
Levan Akin masterfully exposes orthodoxy of all levels of society in Georgia: honor marriages, honor fighting, ****. Every detail of life is realistic and believable. Highly recommend.
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And Then We Danced is a well-made love story, anchored by a mesmerizing Levan Gelbakhiani and enlivened by electrifying dance numbers.
The director’s greatest asset here is surely Gelbakhiani.
At the same time, there's something a little tired and rote about a coming-out drama set against the world of dance. In the wake of Francis Lee's "God's Own Country," which found fresh fields for this subgenre in the sheep farms of England, this latest trip to the dance studio never feels like it's truly forging its own path.
The dancing is mostly depicted in practice and rehearsal in a featureless room, captured in raggedly cut handheld sequences that betray the movie’s modest means. If Akin knows how to direct better than this, he rarely shows it. But if he never displays a knack for visualizing the physicality of dance (more impressive rehearsal footage can be found in about five seconds on YouTube), he does a decent job of conveying the frustration and passion it inspires in Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani, a professional dancer).
The cast perform with conviction, and the whole movie is attractively, solidly put together. But its dramatic components, fraught as they are, are tepidly delivered.
This is quite a cultural film, featuring lots of Georgian dancing and singing (which I quite enjoyed). There are some nice settings too of course. Its also somewhat thought provoking, given the plotline. The cast were good and it was quite a good film overall, so yes I'd recommend it.
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The standard coming of age/coming out narrative may be almost trite in Western cinema these days, but talking about -- let alone depicting -- **** male sexuality in a film from the former Soviet republic of Georgia is quite a provocative move. That in itself makes "And Then We Danced" a daring subject for a movie -- and a commendable project -- from that nation. Through the lens of a traditional Georgian dance troupe, in which gender roles and stereotypes are rigidly defined both in the routines and the expected behavior of troupe members, the picture makes the case for a need for change in the acceptance of the LGBTQ community in a culture that's behind the times and unfairly (and legally) discriminatory. However, while the picture makes its point effectively, the script delivering it becomes unduly bogged down by a meandering story line in the second half after a carefully crafted opening. By trying to cover too much ground, the film seems to move about aimlessly as it inches toward a more cohesive concluding sequence that's more in line with the opening half. A little more tightening up in the screenplay and editing would have worked wonders for an otherwise-fine film. It's worth a watch, but catch it on DVD rather than rushing out to the theater.
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this is another low tier movie who the only triest to succeed on the factor that there are **** in there this movie isn't only disrespectful for cristians its also disrespectful for **** cause it tries only to work on them there aren't any interesting or good moments in this movie it's another worthless
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Low standard , cringe-worthy dialogue. Direction by Levan Akin is painfully self-conscious. Most of the good work is done by cinematography and editing. And Then We Danced, despite its relevance of **** and persecution, made no mark at raising the bar above the platitudes we are familiar with within the genre, which resulted in it feeling like a "copy of a copy". I am all for Sweden's known attempts at affirmative action, showcasing its **** director with immigrant background, however. But international scrutiny is far less political, and Sweden picking this film as its Oscar submission left no one surprised when it did not even make the initial shortlist - for a reason. This film speaks to the sad decline of Swedish cinema.
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Production Company
French Quarter Film,
Takes Film,
AMA Productions,
RMV Film,
Inland Film,
Sveriges Television (SVT),
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI),
La Région Île-de-France,
L'Aide aux Cinémas du Monde,
Konstnärsnämnden
Release Date Feb 7, 2020
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating Not Rated
Awards
Guldbagge Awards
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
CinEuphoria Awards
• 2 Wins & 7 Nominations
Odesa International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
