Space Invasion

“Physical, Sexual and Psychological” Film Debuts at MWFF

Fringe ArtsAnne-Myriam Abdelhak — Published August 27, 2012

It’s with a dark, political incorrectness that Dito Tsintsadze brings his latest work to Montreal’s World Film Festival. The Georgian filmmaker has been living and making movies in Germany for the past 12 years, and his latest film, Invasion, invites the audience to share his bleak, black humour.

The film focuses on Joseph, an aging hermit who never got over the death of his wife and son. His life begins to change when relatives of his late wife visit his isolated mansion. Little by little, the strangers begin to infringe on his physical space, which in turn disturbs his mind and habits.

“Invasion, for me is this basic thing that is also extremely complex,” Tsintsadze said. “It’s physical, sexual and psychological.”

The project started in a personal way for Tsintsadze, drawing inspiration from times when he felt himself like an invader towards his own friends.

“This is when I started questioning the limits of intrusion, and the borders we should put on our social interactions.”

Although focusing on invasion as a keystone, the film explores different themes such as love, sexuality, the loss of family and reconstructing oneself.

It’s shocking in its crude depicting human nature. However, Tsintsadze focuses on questioning the actions of his characters, rather than judging them.

“I don’t want to be moralistic,” he said. “They’re all human beings at the end, trying to survive. Just like us.”

The multifaceted movie deals with some sad and disturbing content, mixed with an absurdist sensibility.

“Some people see my film as a dark comedy, others as a surrealistic drama,” he said. “It’s like reading Kafka. I find Kafka funny. Even if he deals with particularly dark things, it still has this strange and dark humour. Here, we are laughing at how far one can go at abusing someone else’s privacy.”

For Tsintsadze, the most important thing is to allow infinite interpretations, using symbols that each viewer can interpret and understand in their own way.

“The movie is a universal story in which everybody can find its own meaning. Even after having seen it, they should keep it in mind and constantly find new significations,” he said. “When a film is over, it is only the beginning.”

Invasion / Montreal World Film Festival / Aug. 27 at 9:00 a.m. and Aug. 28 2:00 p.m. / Imperial Cinema (1430 Bleury St.) / $10.00