“Don’t you know women like to listen to sweet things, rather than eat them?”
What is love? How does it manifest? How quickly can it slip away from us? Is there such a thing as love at first sight?
Love With An Accent could be considered Russia’s answer to Love Actually, comprised of seven short stories, Georgian writer/director Rezo Gigineishvili provides an extremely positive, albeit at times a little implausible, perspective on love. A famous couple whose lives are played out in tabloid magazines are in the middle of a divorce, a young couple on the run from the woman’s disapproving father, a man travelling across the Caucasus region to meet the stern family of the love of his life and more are the subplots of this love-fest.
However the story with the most heart is that of Helga (Anna Mikhalkova), a woman travelling to Georgia in order to find a man. Armed with her camcorder in which she documents every thought about her quest to her unborn child, she is convinced that her trip will result in a relationship that will provide her with the happiness she yearns for. Seemingly quite unlucky in love, the audience has their fingers crossed for Helga, who scours various locations across the country, including soccer fields, cafes and dinner parties, to find the one.
It’s quite wonderful to see such a film come out of Russia and Georgia, turning a blind eye on recent violence and conflict in the region and showing a vibrant and peaceful side to relations. You will be hard pressed not to leave Love With An Accent with a smile on your face. There are happy endings all round and while that might not be the most realistic of endings, you can make an allowance for it here.
Love with an Accent is screening as part of the 2013 Russian Resurrection Film Festival. For session times and further info, visit the RRFF website.
Love with an Accent from Russian Resurrection on Vimeo.
