Pfauen
26 January 2025
This dazzling attack on bureaucracy makes all other satires seem tame. The term "My Grandmother" refers to a protector, without whom survival in this dystopian vision of the open-plan office would be impossible. Mikaberidze’s film is a fireworks display of visual techniques such as montage, distortion, animation, slow motion, and extreme close-ups, reminiscent of Dadaism, early film farce, and the young Eisenstein.
The Georgian satire from the Soviet era is accompanied by the experimental Finnish band Cleaning Women, who play self-built instruments, repurposed washing machines, and discarded household appliances. Over their 20-year career, they have toured everywhere from China to Canada and from Russia to Mexico.
