In Bloom

IN BLOOM is a powerful story of two young girls navigating the oppressive familial and societal expectations of post-Soviet Georgia. Tbilisi, 1992: the newly independent state must fend for itself, even as civil war rages in the provinces. For 14 year-old best friends Eka and Natia, their childhood in the run-down city has come to an abrupt halt, as insecurity and fear of what the future might bring bleeds into everyday life. The introverted Eka lives in a book-filled apartment with her dismissive, boy-crazy elder sister and her preoccupied single-parent mother; precocious Natia lives in the chaotic atmosphere of a cramped apartment with her extended working-class family, dominated by her alcoholic father. But like most schoolgirls, Eka and Natia are far more concerned with life outside; classroom gossip, music, and exercising their budding sexual power over the local boys.