Lisa, a photographer, has gone missing. The last known detail is that she had been photographing rural football stadiums in villages across Georgia. Her father, Irakli, sets out to search for her, traveling from place to place. Levani, Lisa’s best friend – and an invisible person – also sets off to help. – Locarno Film Festival
The film’s aesthetic becomes increasingly mesmerizing. ”Dry Leaf”’s tableaux are impressionistic in ways that recall the plein air landscapes of Claude Monet. But when the figures within the frame move, they resemble the globs of color and lines in a J.M.W. Turner seascape. Koberidze’s film is at its most hypnotic during such moments of near-total abstraction, like when the sudsy water applied during car wash dances along during the drying cycle or trees moves in the wind. Koberidze reminds us that not seeing is sometimes a way of seeing the world differently. – Slant Magazine
In football, a “dry leaf“ is a kick with an unpredictable landing of the ball – much like our characters who surrender to the journey and trust the wind to lead them. – Alexandre Koberidze
Alexandre Koberidze
DE, GE 2025 | Special Mention, Locarno, Preis der Fipresci, Locarno
186 min | Georgisch
Alexandre Koberidze
Born in Tbilisi in 1984. Studied at the Tbilisi State University of Film and Theatre, then at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb). His poetic films are always narrative and formal experiments.
Films (selection)
Der Fall 2014 | Colophon 2015 | Der perfekte Zuschauer 2017 | Lass den Sommer nie wieder kommen 2017 (12. UX) | Was sehen wir, wenn wir zum Himmel schauen? 2021 (16. UX)
Dry Leaf 2025
R+B+K: Alexandre Koberidze
M: Giorgi Koberidze | P: Alexandre Koberidse, Luise Hauschild, Mariam Shatberashvili | V: Grandfilm | With David Koberidze, Otar Nijaradze, Irina Chelidze, Giorgi Bochorishvili, Vakhtang Panchulidze, Irina Chelidze