"This has been a 12-month period of daily pummeling by the forces of history and fate, of waking up to an infinite scroll of dumbfoundingly terrible news chased by an overpriced cup of Trump-tariff coffee. During that stretch early in the year when movie pickings always tend to be slim, I clung to older films I already knew I loved as if they were flotsam from a sinking ship."
"The Georgian writer-director Dea Kulumbegashvili's second feature film is utterly sui generis: an unsettling work of psychological horror that doubles as a slice-of-life study of systemic misogyny and rape culture. The film was shot largely in secret because of Georgia's strict anti-abortion laws; it follows the lonely daily existence of Nina (Ia Sukhitashvili), a committed OB-GYN who drives to remote villages in her off hours to deliver abortion care to young women who are too poor, and sometimes too mentally or physically disabled,"
2025 felt relentlessly bleak, with a yearlong stream of troubling news and cultural strain. Early in the year, limited new releases led to reliance on older beloved films. As spring arrived, unexpected and beautiful new works began to appear, culminating in a generous fall crop and an expanded list of ten runners-up. Dea Kulumbegashvili's second feature stands out as a sui generis psychological horror and slice-of-life study of systemic misogyny and rape culture. The film was shot largely in secret under Georgia's strict anti-abortion laws and follows an OB-GYN who clandestinely provides abortion care to impoverished and disabled women. A striking crane shot rises above wildflowers before an approaching storm. Coming soon to streaming.
Read at Slate Magazine
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